"With the new airport opening up and with how beautiful Panama City Beach is, we knew here would be a great place to start," Ted Rosensweig, co-owner of Wanchese, N.C.-based Brew Thru Inc. told the newspaper. "The place is growing, we have great people around us, and we look forward to great relationships here."
The Panama City Beach [image-nocss] location opened its doors in January and experienced high sales during Spring Break, Memorial Day and Independence Day, the report said.
The company has been a staple in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina for 32 years. Its duckbill cap-sporting mascot, "Big D," is named after the founder of the chain.
Instead of customers driving up to a window and asking a clerk for specific items, cars drive through the store like they would a car wash. Once inside, they are able to see all the items for sale. Like most traditional c-stores, Brew Thru offers beer, wine, nonalcoholic drinks, snacks and souvenirs. The stores also have sold more than three million of the chain's logo t-shirts throughout the years.
The company hopes to open 10 or more locations around Florida's panhandle, said the report. It currently has the rights to set up locations throughout Panama City and west toward Pensacola.
"We'd love to put one all the way down the beach, one halfway down the beach and then others further west," Brad Allen, majority owner for Brew Thru, told the paper.
While many Bay County businesses have seen sales slow as a result of the gulf oil spill, Brew Thru owners remain optimistic and still plan on expanding their brand name, the report added.
"The oil hasn't stopped us, but we probably won't be able to do it as soon as we had hoped. We had hoped to start on our second location in our third year," Allen said.
"We're going to stick it out," added Rosensweig. "We hope to make it through this summer and this year and start fresh next year if the oil leak is capped so we can start growing."
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.