HARRISBURG, NE -- Members of the local communities stopped in Harrisburg for the grand opening of Hilltop Rustic Roast Saturday, July 12.

The drive-thru coffee shop first opened June 12 with the official grand opening bringing in dozens of customers, some brand new and others repeat customers. 

Wittni Boettcher manages the shop that is located in the parking lot of Double L Country Store at 2213 HWY 71, owned by Laura Lee. 

“The grand opening was very successful, it was a busy day, and I had a lot of people from both Kimball and Scottsbluff come and support,” Boettcher said. “Overall, it was a really good day. We had some repeat customers that have been in since we first opened a month ago.”

The menu offers a variety of drinks including hot and iced lattes, lotus energy drinks, smoothies, and sodas, as well as a few bakery options.

The grand opening featured a new drink flavor: The S’mores Latte that represents a cozy campfire in a cup. 

The shop is open Tuesday – Saturday from 6:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. and is primarily a drive-thru, but customers are welcome to walk up to the window to order as well. 

“We love to sit and talk to people as we’re making their drinks and preparing their food, but it is drive-thru accessible which is convenient for people passing through,” she said. 

Boettcher had the idea to open the coffee shop to provide another opportunity to local teenagers as a job opportunity. 

She is also a teacher at Banner County School where she helps her students manage a coffee shop in the school as part of her classroom curriculum. 

“My hope is to provide an opportunity for some of my students to work at the coffee shop and get customer service-type life skills that they don’t quite get from the school-run coffee shop,” she said.