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Boddie-Noell Enterprises, which operates more than 330 Hardee's locations, is diversifying its portfolio by bringing Scooter's Coffee to North Carolina and Virginia.
Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the largest Hardee's franchisee in the country with over 330 locations, has signed a development agreement to open at least 31 Scooter's Coffee drive-thru outlets across North Carolina and Virginia. The deal instantly makes Boddie-Noell the largest Scooter's franchisee in both states North Carolina already has 14 Scooter's locations, while Virginia currently has none. For a company that has operated Hardee's restaurants for more than six decades, the move into coffee represents a deliberate pivot toward portfolio diversification after years of focusing almost exclusively on its core brand.
Boddie-Noell didn't arrive at this decision quickly. The two companies had conversations on and off for several years before the deal came together. According to Mike Hancock, Boddie-Noell's executive vice president, the company spent time evaluating options across multiple categories chicken, fast food, coffee before landing on Scooter's as the right fit. "We talked to pretty much everybody," Hancock said. "What we were looking for was something that was a good fit for how we know how to operate something." The alignment goes beyond operations. Scooter's has built its growth strategy around smaller, community-focused markets rather than major metro areas a philosophy that matches how Boddie-Noell has always approached its business. "We're a little more hometown-y than that," Hancock said, referring to big-city expansion models. "We think that fits our culture and the culture of the customers we've learned to serve and grow with."
Scooter's Coffee, which currently has around 920 locations and is on track to hit 1,000 by the end of 2026, has reached a size where larger corporate operators are coming to them. But Tim Arpin, the company's chief growth officer, said they're selective about who they bring on and community involvement carries real weight in that evaluation. For Scooter's, the loyalty that drives repeat business in the beverage category comes less from the drink itself and more from the relationship customers build with their local shop. Sponsoring a youth sports team, showing up at chamber of commerce events, dropping off drinks at nearby businesses these are the things Scooter's looks for in a franchisee, and they're things Boddie-Noell has a track record of doing. "The difference maker in the beverage space is the loyalty that comes from having a great guest experience and knowing your barista and knowing the franchisees who own your location," Arpin said. Finding a large, experienced operator that still operates that way isn't easy, which is part of what made this deal work.
The pairing makes practical sense on the real estate side as well. Boddie-Noell's first Scooter's location will likely be built on land the company already owns near an existing Hardee's store a straightforward way to start without taking on additional property costs. The two brands don't directly compete, which gives Boddie-Noell a way to serve customers at different parts of the day and build on infrastructure it already has in place across the Carolinas and Virginia.
