As you may have seen, the newest addition to the downtown area is our very own Dutch Bros, and to be honest, the only thing that it is really adding to our community is horrible traffic and mediocre coffee.
Anyone who has driven through Clemson knows how congested certain areas can become. Adding a high-demand drive-thru coffee chain only increases this strain. It has been a little over a week, and already we are seeing the effects. There are consistently cars lined up around the entrance on a road that already has some of the worst traffic in Clemson, and even some collisions.
This is not to entirely dismiss Dutch Bros as a good place to go, but there are way better alternatives in the surrounding areas, and we, as Clemson, should prioritize those small businesses rather than supporting another chain. However, I understand that part of the appeal of Dutch Bros is the fact that there is a drive-thru, it’s convenient and it has specialty drinks…