Caribou Coffee adding west-side location
Dec. 17, 2021
Caribou Coffee is coming to West 12th Street.
The coffee chain has leased the former Pizza Hut building at 2501 W. 12th St.
That was the final remaining dine-in Pizza Hut in Sioux Falls, which closed in 2020 when the chain closed nearly all of its remaining dine-in restaurants nationwide. Pizza Hut recently confirmed it is returning to West 12th Street with a carryout and delivery model in a building shared with Scooter’s Coffee.
Shortly after the old Pizza Hut site became vacant, local businessman Rod Woelfel purchased the building with renovation plans in mind.
The building is being renovated, both inside and out, for Caribou’s “chalet” model, which is a dine-in coffee house that includes a drive-thru.
“Our goal was to completely reimagine this property, so people didn’t simply see it as an ‘old Pizza Hut,’” said Ryan Tysdal of Van Buskirk Cos., who brokered the deal. “We ripped off the roof and replaced it with a flat roof, which is more in line with today’s style of most quick-serve restaurants.”
This is the fourth property on West 12th Street that Woelfel has repurposed.
In addition to his own business, Big City Motors, Woelfel renovated a former grocery store for national retailers Harbor Freight Tools and Dollar Tree. Last year, he redeveloped a bare asphalt lot for Scooter’s Coffee and Pizza Hut. And now, Woelfel is now renovating the former Pizza Hut for Caribou Coffee.
“I’m really proud of West 12th Street,” Woelfel said. “I’ve been in business, personally, on West 12th for decades, and I take pride in fixing up these old run-down properties for new tenants.”
And he continues to keep his eyes open for more West 12th opportunities. “His employees call him the ‘Wolf of 12th Street,’” Tysdal joked.
The exterior renovation of the new Caribou Coffee is already underway. Caribou plans on gutting the interior and then building it out over the winter.
“We’ll have some exterior site work and concrete to finish up in the spring, so Caribou can open early summer,” Tysdal said.
Caribou currently operates five coffee houses in Sioux Falls, plus a location in The Empire Mall.
The coffee chain also recently announced plans for two drive-thru cabins on East 10th Street and East 26th Street.
