LEBANON — Sometimes when one coffeehouse drive-through window closes, another one opens.

On Friday, Lebanon coffee bar Lucky’s opened a second location on Mechanic Street, in the space previously held by Jake’s Coffee Co. — which closed in October to move to a new, yet-to-be-disclosed location.

Lucky’s new cafe is drive-through only, allowing customers on a tight schedule to grab their morning caffeine or a quick breakfast without leaving the confines of their vehicle.

“I’m excited to have this,” Lebanon resident Austin Ford said after placing his order. “I live really close by, so I’m glad to have a drive-through option (for Lucky’s).”

Lucky’s owner Deb Shinnlinger said she has been considering a second cafe for years. Business at her flagship coffeehouse, Lucky’s Coffee Garage on Park Street, has grown considerably since opening in December 2017, so much so that customers have frequently asked about having another location.

“When I opened, I had no idea that we would become what we are,” Shinnlinger said in an interview on Thursday. “I thought we were going to be a fun, little, cozy hobby coffee shop where we’d be part-time and (people could) play board games. It very quickly became a lesson in scaling up.”

When Jake’s Coffee owner Bruce Bergeron announced in fall 2023 that he would not be renewing his lease — which expired in November — at 227 Mechanic St., Shinnlinger said it felt like “the stars were aligning” for Lucky’s to expand its operation.

“This was the perfect location — far enough from Lucky’s Garage but close enough, not much renovation, kind of a plug-and-play operation,” Shinnlinger said.

This cafe was already equipped with the drive-through infrastructure as well, which greatly shaped Shinnlinger’s plan to make the new Lucky’s an express service rather than a duplication of her flagship cafe.

“The Garage will be the place to meet your friends, where you can grab a cup with your coworker or to be with your community,” she said. “And here it can be for when you’re on the go.”

Lucky’s drive-through menu is pared down to facilitate the processing of orders. Customized sandwiches and toasted items like bagels are not offered at the new location. But the menu otherwise provides a diverse fare of coffees, teas, non-caffeinated drinks and baked goods, as well as three kinds of breakfast sandwiches.

The old Jake’s cafe space on Mechanic Street will be used as production headquarters for Lucky’s bakery team, which serves both the cafes and catered events.

The additional baking space also will enable Lucky’s to expand its offerings, which will include croissants.

“Croissants will be a big game-changer for this area, because I think our only other bakery around here that makes them is King Arthur,” said baking manager Emily Irick.

The offerings will include a variety of sweet and savory filled croissants, as well as the traditional crescent-shaped rolls.

Lucky’s drive-through is currently open on Fridays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Once more staff are hired, Shinnlinger said the days and hours of operation will be the same as Lucky’s Garage, Wednesday through Monday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lucky’s currently has 20 people on staff, but Shinnlinger said they need to hire three or more full-time employees to operate both locations six days a week.

She said that Lucky’s starting pay is $22 an hour, plus benefits and paid holidays.

As for Jake’s Coffee Co., Bergeron said in a phone interview on Wednesday that the company is still finalizing an agreement for a new location and he is unable to discuss the details at this time.

“Hopefully we will have something to share soon,” Bergeron said.

The Mechanic Street property is still owned by Jake’s founder, Ed Kerrigan — who sold his chain of Upper Valley delis and convenience stores in 2018 to Bergeron, a former Jake’s employee.

Kerrigan retained a handful of his properties, including Jake’s Quechee Market and the building housing Lucky’s drive-through.

Patrick Adrian may be reached at padrian@vnews.com or at 603-272-3216.