Caribou Coffee continues Ohio expansion with Columbus-area shop

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) -- National coffeehouse Caribou Coffee is opening a new central Ohio shop this spring as part of the company's plan to launch 60 locations across Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.

Caribou will begin welcoming coffee enthusiasts to the new shop in May at 1752 Columbus Pike in Delaware, according to the company's site. The new coffeehouse will be the third operated by franchisee Mike Mariola Restaurants, who announced an agreement with Caribou in 2021 to open 60 shops in Ohio.

Mariola opened the first location in his hometown of Wooster at 1840 Cleveland Road in 2022, and then launched a location at 7010 E. Main St. in Reynoldsburg last year.

"We couldn't be more excited to work with Mike and his team who have built such a strong reputation in the hospitality industry throughout Ohio," said Matthew Walls, Caribou's chief franchise officer, when the Wooster shop opened. "They are incredible operators and are dedicated to delivering Caribou’s purpose of creating day-making experiences for our guests."

Mariola's restaurant group also operates The City Square Steakhouse and Mariola Italian in Wooster, along with several locations of burger joint The Rail in Akron, Strongsville, Dublin and Grandview Heights.

Caribou's partnership with Mariola marked the coffeehouse's first domestic multi-unit franchisee, and the Wooster shop was the first new Caribou location to open in Ohio after nine years. Before that, the coffee company had opened a Findlay shop at 2021 Broad Ave. and a New Springfield store at 3600 Glacier Road.

Founded in 1992, Caribous has expanded to more than 750 coffeehouses worldwide, including more than 330 company-owned stores, 140 non-traditional shops and 291 traditional franchise locations in 11 countries.