Mudslingers, a new local coffee shop, opened for business in Tyler in early February. Located in the parking lot of Green Acres Bowl, this drive-thru kiosk has been the new talk of the town. From Facebook posts to word-of-mouth recommendations, the sudden rave and popularity of Mudslingers came as a surprise to both the owner and his wife.
Owner and kiosk manager, Nathan Stephens said, “Everybody told us ‘you’re gonna have to fight Starbucks tooth and nail to get customers’ and then we showed up and yeah. We’ve just been amazingly blessed with how well people have received our product.”
Operations manager, Carley Stephens, also shared how some things they weren’t expecting made the business stand out.
“It’s been a very big sugar free following that we found and also alternative milks,” Carley said. “It’s been things that we weren’t expecting when we opened that set us apart, I would say.”
So what exactly makes Mudslingers different from other coffee shops? For some, the answer is the coffee itself.
English major Jaiden Craig said, “The coffee is like the perfect balance of coffee and sweetness. Also, they have a punch card where you get a free drink for every 10 you buy.”
The drinks served are also available for customization, allowing customers to add or substitute any flavors of their choosing. Carley expounds on their local vicinity of products is what makes them so unique.
“The beans that we get come from Calidad,” Carley said. “They’re based out of Flint, and it’s a family-owned business. The merchandise that we’re getting is through American Graphics, and it’s a father and then his son-in-law also does the embroidery. So that’s where all of our apparel for us and for our customers comes from.”
The couple mentioned the point of staying local was to not only support their family, but also other area families.
Mudslingers offers 60 different flavors to choose from, both regular and sugar free. Nathan explained how their ultimate goal was to satisfy every customer by allowing everyone to drink what they want.
Another reason why Mudslingers stands out is because of the kiosk style location. Nathan explains the inspiration behind the idea.
“So we come from Spokane, Washington, in the Northwest. All over the area up there, there are little mom and pop shops,” Nathan said. “And they’re basically just little drive-thru kiosks, you got two windows that operate either side, get in, get out quick.”
He expressed how they missed those kiosk-styled shops and decided the market needed to see something different, so they brought a part of the North with them to East Texas. Mudslingers sells products besides coffee such as smoothies, energy drinks, teas and various snacks. Their current most popular items are “The Mudslinger” and “Cinna-Slinger,” both of which are signature coffees.
Prices vary based on size and items. All prices listed on their menu include the tax so what’s seen is what’s paid.
Store hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. For more information, visit mudslingerscoffee-tylertx.com or message them on Facebook at Mudslingers of Tyler.
