Caribou Coffee Hope Mills announces opening date of Nov. 19

By Faith Hatton, posted Nov 11, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

After overcoming months of general construction delays, the team at Caribou Coffee Hope Mills is proud to announce their official opening date coming up on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

The long anticipated second location in Cumberland County will be welcoming customers in for their soft opening on Nov. 19, with a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting scheduled to take place on Friday, Nov. 21 in partnership with the Hope Mills Chamber of Commerce.

Located at 5837 Lakewood Drive in Hope Mills, customers will be able to experience Cumberland County's first ever Caribou “Cabin” style storefront. Unlike the sister Caribou Coffee location in the Eutaw Shopping Center in Fayetteville, the Caribou Coffee in Hope Mills features a significantly smaller footprint and drive-thru focused model, designed to offer speed and convenience without sacrificing quality and service. Instead of a full store font featuring merchandise and interior seating areas, customers will be served with a walk- up window with outdoor seating available.

Small but mighty: Located at 5837 Lakewood Drive in Hope Mills, customers will be able to experience Cumberland County's first ever Caribou “Cabin” style storefront. Unlike the sister Caribou Coffee location in the Eutaw Shopping Center in Fayetteville, the Caribou Coffee in Hope Mills features a significantly smaller footprint and drive-thru focused model, designed to offer speed and convenience without sacrificing quality and service.

The location offers a prime opportunity for new customers, with a Publix Super Market under construction across the street, Caribou Hope Mills is being added to the long standing shopping complex featuring Harris Teeter, Jersey Mike’s, CVS Pharmacy and other local businesses.

“It’s a Minnesota based company, so they sent some scouters here to the North Carolina area,” shared General Manager for the Hope Mills Caribou location Carl Pinkston. “There’s so much in this area, and Hope Mills is growing so much that they decided, “Let’s put the coffee shop here.”

As of Tuesday, Nov. 11, staff are in the process of training to learn everything they need to know to provide the Caribou brand customer service and signature drinks. Pinkston shared that 22 staff members were hand picked by him to bring the brand to Hope Mills.

A total of 22 staff members are currently undergoing training to welcome the community.

“It’s going to be well staffed, I want my customers to be in and out, but satisfied,” shared Pinkston. “I have some [barista] veterans I knew from other places, I hand picked each and every one of them. I looked at their resume and said ‘Oh, Starbucks, Duncan, private coffee shop. Okay, boom, we can use you.’ I had enough time to really go through the resumes and try to pair everybody together.”

While they are fully staffed for their grand opening, Pinkston shared that applications will open up for new staff in December.

With over 20 years of coffee hospitality experience, Pinkston will be in the trenches with his team, working to connect with the community and make sure things run smoothly before, during and after their grand opening.

Welcome in! General Manager Carl Pinkston in front of the Caribou Coffee Hope Mills sign. The new location is added to a long standing shopping complex featuring Harris Teeter, Jersey Mike’s, CVS Pharmacy and other local businesses.

“I worked for Starbucks for 19 years. I started in Georgia. Georgia was a little bit different, because they were everywhere. But then once I moved back here, first I was in Gastonia, North Carolina. I worked at that Starbucks and there was only one, so that one was crazy. Then once I moved here, I went to the Cross Creek location, which was busy as well,” shared Pinkston. “[I] finally got out of Starbucks, and Caribou came calling. I started and it’s a great company. I started as a shift lead in Southern Pines, became an assistant general manager and worked my way up to management so, I know realistically how things work.”

As the Caribou team prepares to introduce themselves into the community, Pinkston says he’s excited to open.

“We're definitely in the final countdown, because I'm just doing the odds and ends now, I love it,” said Pinkston. “We appreciate you waiting, and we look forward to serving everyone.”

Rich coffees, cool teas, blended drinks and delectable appetizers are all on the menu at Caribou Coffee. Picture is the Caramel Espresso Shaker. Pinkston's favorite drinks in order are:
1. The Mint Condition
2. The Campfire Mocha and
3. Regular Vanilla Latte with oat milk

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