Wattles stated he does not have a college degree, which prompted an additional reason to launch the business that serves coffees, teas and other beverages.
“One of my missions is to create a [business] where young adults, without the necessity of college, can advance rapidly,” he said. “And by the time they are in their 30s, [they can] have a good enough income where they can support a family.”
Wattles opened his first 151 Coffee in North Richland Hills in 2017. He has opened seven additional locations in the metroplex, including the Roanoke and Fort Worth locations in 2020 and Keller in 2021.
The menu, Wattles said, is “coffee-centric.”
“About 85% of our business is coffee, and within the coffee category we have all the espresso-based coffees that exist, [so] you can customize anything like at other coffee places,” he said. “Some of our drinks are more dessert-based. Our No. 1 selling coffee is an Americano, which is basically a high-end version of a brewed coffee.”
151 Coffee also serves customizable teas, energy drinks and smoothies.
Wattles said he chose the business name based on a personal preference.
“I like my milk temperature steamed at 150 degrees, and the reason I like it at 150 is because when you go up to 160 [degrees] ... it’s too hot to drink,” he said. “The reason I named it ‘151’ is real simple: I didn’t think ‘150’ sounded cool, so I changed the temperature to 151 [degrees], which is what all our machines are set at.”
When describing the ambiance of the shop, Wattles said it is high energy, music-oriented and fun. He said 95% of 151 Coffee’s business is drive-thru; however, it does offer outside seating options at all locations.
Although researching possible future locations takes up a lot of his time, Wattles said he tries to visit stores as often as possible.
“The real job that makes this business successful is the barista, not the CEO,” he said. “If you lose touch with the frontline job in the business, you’re not going to make great decisions as a leader.”
151 has locations in Keller, Roanoke and Fort Worth.
Keller location: 1510 Keller Pkwy, Keller. 682-325-2124. www.151coffee.com. Hours: 6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
