Feb. 8, 2023

A coffee kiosk in Tea that recently added a food truck and a trailer is expanding with a drive-thru coffee shop in Harrisburg that also will serve food.

Central Dakota Perk is taking over part of the space occupied by Subway in a retail center on Cliff Avenue.

In addition to the full coffee menu and the new Lotus plant-based energy drinks, the Harrisburg location, which is expected to open later this month, will serve breakfast sandwiches and baked goods, and about a half-dozen items for lunch and dinner, said Jen McNaughton, who owns the business with her husband, Jed. While they won’t be made-from-scratch meals, they will be hot items that can be served quickly and won’t be expensive, she said.

Also new, customers will be able to purchase Central Dakota Perk’s coffee beans, which are roasted in Sioux City, by the bag, either ground or whole.

Hours will be 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Customers will be able to order using a regular speaker system in the drive-thru, but they’ll also be able to access an ordering app that doesn’t have to be downloaded to use.

“It’ll even store your order if you like,” McNaughton said. “It will tell you your last saved drinks” to make ordering easy.

Delivery also will be available in Harrisburg.

In July 2021, the McNaughtons opened the Central Dakota Perk kiosk in Tea. Late last summer, they bought the food truck and trailer from Uncle JJ’s and Papa Jimmy’s Neighborhood Grill.

They’ve added an espresso machine to the truck, and the trailer will feature coffee drinks too. Each one has a grill, and the food will be made from scratch, McNaughton said. Both will be available for public and private events, and will operate as Central Dakota Perk Mobile Coffee & Catering.

The truck is already parked next to the kiosk in Tea, and Central Dakota Perk started serving breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and biscuits and gravy in January. Once spring arrives, it also will serve lunch.

In Tea, Central Dakota Perk’s winter hours are 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Updates, including the featured latte flavor of the day, are posted on its Facebook page. 

Uncle JJ’s was known for its Philly sandwiches, and Central Dakota Perk will continue to offer those, she said.

“They had a great product, so we’re sticking with that.”

Other items likely will include hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and wraps. She envisions a daily lunch special such as a casserole or hot beef sandwich, “something that’s scoop and serve, quick to go.”

The catering offerings could run from a plated meal starting at $9 and going as high as a client would want, she said.

Running up to four locations could be a staffing nightmare, but the couple’s four children also help in some capacity, McNaughton said. In Harrisburg, they’ve hired a full-time manager and some part-time help but are looking for additional workers for after school and weekends. They’ll also need staff on the truck and trailer for events. To start the application process, contact McNaughton at [email protected].