The husband-and-wife team behind a popular mobile coffee trailer have opened their first brick-and-mortar location in Stratford.
STRATFORD, CT — The husband-and-wife team behind a popular mobile coffee trailer have opened their first brick-and-mortar location in Stratford.
Laura and Zach Miko, co-owners of the Drowsy Whaler Coffee and Grog trailer, recently celebrated the grand opening of the Drowsy Whaler Café at 1 Dorne Drive in Stratford.
“It’s been a wild experience,” Laura Miko said of the opening. “We have been embraced by the community in a way we never expected. We’ve been so wonderfully busy. Our shop is hopping, and we are having an absolute blast.
“Our staff has been absolutely incredible. We grew from a staff of two to a staff of 15, and everybody has gone above and beyond.”
Drowsy Whaler Café, located at the entrance of the town’s scenic Short Beach in the Lordship section of Stratford, offers all of the trailer’s popular items – including its Cease and Desist peanut butter and fluff latte, cold brew, 10 flavors of lattes, and a weekly special — along with bakery items.
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The mobile coffee shop garnered a loyal following of Lordship locals and out-of-towners after opening last year. They saw a noticeable boost in recent weeks after receiving rave reviews from TikTok and Instagram influencers, including Tiffany Guckin (@foodswithfinn), The Side Dishers (@thesidedishers), Kelsey O'Toole (@connecticutkelsey), and Gigi Graziano (@gigigraziano).
“We've been so humbled this past year with how much our Lordship and Stratford community has embraced us,” Zach Miko said. “We cannot believe people are driving in from so far and standing in line for so long just for us. It is a dream come true.”
Laura Miko said they have wanted to add a brick-and-mortar location ever since launching the trailer.
“One of our regular customers put us in touch with the mayor, who was looking to lease this space at Short Beach,” she said. “After we saw it, we knew we wanted to move in immediately. The fun, round room reminded us of a ship, which is perfectly on theme for Drowsy Whaler.”
She also said they chose the location because, other than Dunkin’, “there’s no coffee on this side of town.”
“We love that we are right next to the golf course, tennis courts, and sports fields,” Laura Miko said. “There’s so many activities that happen here year-round that it’s a perfect location. And with a real ‘roof’ over our heads, we don’t have to close anymore if the weather is bad.”
Laura Miko also confirmed that they plan on reopening the Drowsy Whaler trailer on weekends again soon, after getting the shop “up-and-running smoothly.”
There are also plans for expansion, eventually.
“We definitely want to expand in the future,” she said. “For right now, we’re putting all of our energy into our two existing locations.”
Zach Miko said it’s been gratifying seeing their original vision for Drowsy Whaler coming to fruition.
“Our goal from the beginning was to create a community space, a third space [outside of work and home], where friends and neighbors can feel at home and like they have a place to go when they have nowhere else,” he said. “We’re watching that community start to evolve, and we’re so grateful.”
Drowsy Whaler Café’s regular hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.