The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s long journey to north Rialto has finally come to an end, with the coffeehouse opening at the end of July.
The chain will host a grand opening ceremony at 11 a.m. tomorrow (August 9) at the new location, 1877 N. Riverside Ave.
The event will feature a ribbon-cuttting with Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson and other city officials.
There will also be chances to win surprise giveaways.
The chain is also celebrating its 55th anniversary, and is offering buy-one-get-one-free deals on large or 32-ounce iced beverages between 2 and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday from August 13 to 24.
The coffeehouse’s saga began back in 2010, when the city was looking to bring an In-N-Out Burger location to the site of a former fire station on the northeast corner of Easton Street and Riverside Avenue.
The city prevailed and the restaurant opened in August 2013.
The initial plan was for the construction of two other eateries on the parcel: Another fast food outlet — Miguel’s Jr. was a possibility — and a sit-down restaurant.
In early 2015, however, four eateries — Wingstop, Major Brain Freeze Yogurt, Jersey Mike’s Subs and Chipotle Mexican Grill — opened in a strip across from the burger joint.
Back then, there was still a plan to build another 4,000-square-foot building to house a 1,900-square-foot Coffee Bean and another 2,100-square-foot business.
Shortly afterward, however, those plans shifted, moving the new construction — now just a 1,650-square-foot Coffee Bean drive-thru — to the south side of Easton Street.
The undeveloped land on the north side of Easton Street was eventually paved over to create additional parking.
Construction for the location started in January of this year.
Lobby hours are 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. The drive-thru opens half an hour earlier.