Dutch Bros Coffee Opens in Spanish Fort as Greer’s Plans Magnolia Springs Market, More Eateries on the Way

SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Baldwin County’s restaurant and grocery scene keeps growing this fall, with Dutch Bros Coffee now serving drinks in Spanish Fort and Greer’s Markets planning a new store in Magnolia Springs for summer 2027. A specialty coffee roaster in Gulf Shores, a sandwich shop in Robertsdale and an upscale Latin restaurant in Fairhope are also on the way.

Here is a look at what has opened and what is coming soon along the Eastern Shore and south Baldwin County.

Dutch Bros Coffee: now open in Spanish Fort

• Address: 30943 Mill Lane, Spanish Fort
• Status: Now open
• Hours: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The fast-growing Dutch Bros Coffee chain has opened on the Eastern Shore. The Spanish Fort shop offers both a drive-thru and a walk-up window, and its menu covers hot and iced coffee drinks, smoothies, blended “freezes,” teas and the company’s house line of energy drinks, called Rebel Energy.

Dutch Bros got its start in 1992 in Grants Pass, Oregon, where brothers Dane and Travis Boersma began selling espresso from a pushcart. The company has since grown into one of the largest drive-thru coffee chains in the country, known for its upbeat service and long list of customizable drinks.

Greer’s Markets: coming to Magnolia Springs in summer 2027

• Address: 14627 U.S. 98, Magnolia Springs
• Status: Planned; signage says the store will open in summer 2027
• Former tenant: Family Dollar

Mobile-based Greer’s Markets is bringing a new store to the Magnolia Springs community, in the U.S. 98 building where a Family Dollar once operated.

According to minutes from a May 5 meeting of the Magnolia Springs Planning Commission, Mayor Ross House said he had met with the company. The Greer family, he reported, plans to use the Magnolia Springs location to set the architectural style for future Greer’s Markets, with the store aiming to become a weekly shopping and casual dining staple for the community. Signs posted on the front of the property now list a summer 2027 opening.

Greer’s is one of the region’s oldest family businesses. Autry Greer opened the first store in 1916 at the corner of Water and St. Michael streets in downtown Mobile, and five generations of the Greer family have since run the company, which operates stores in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. In 2021 the family opened Greer’s St. Louis Market in downtown Mobile, a more urban format with a heavy emphasis on prepared foods, a bakery, a coffee shop and a rooftop overlooking the city skyline.

Magnolia Springs, a small riverfront town of shaded lanes and historic cottages just off U.S. 98, is perhaps best known as home to the only year-round, water-based mail delivery route in the continental United States, a boat route on the Magnolia River that has operated since 1915.

Caffeinatrix: specialty coffee roastery coming to Gulf Shores

• Address: 3757 Gulf Shores Parkway, Unit BC, Gulf Shores
• Status: Coming in winter 2026, according to its website

Coffee lovers in south Baldwin County will soon have a new destination. Caffeinatrix describes itself on its website as a coffee roastery and tasting room where “specialty coffee takes center stage.” Customers will be able to watch coffee being roasted in small batches and sample rare and limited offerings.

The business is setting up along Gulf Shores Parkway, the main commercial corridor leading to the beach, and its website lists a winter 2026 opening.

Firehouse Subs: under construction in Robertsdale

• Address: 21862 Alabama 59, Twin Oaks Town Center, Robertsdale
• Status: Under construction
• Former tenant: Forget Me Know Bakery

A new Firehouse Subs is in the works at Twin Oaks Town Center in Robertsdale, in the space formerly occupied by Forget Me Know Bakery. The sandwich chain already has three Baldwin County locations, in Foley, Fairhope and Daphne, and the Robertsdale shop will bring it to the county’s central corridor along Alabama 59.

Firehouse Subs was founded in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida, by brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen, both former firefighters. The chain is known for its steamed hot subs and its firefighter-themed restaurants, and its nonprofit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation provides equipment and support to first responders across the country.

Volanta: upscale Latin cuisine coming to Fairhope

• Address: 800 N. Section St., Fairhope
• Status: Coming soon; no opening date announced
• Former tenant: Maggie’s

Volanta, a new upscale Latin restaurant, is coming to North Section Street in Fairhope, just down the road from Ben’s Jr Bar-B-Q in the former Maggie’s space. No opening date has been announced, but the restaurant’s Facebook page promises it is “coming soon (real soon).”

Volanta is led by chef Jeremiah Matthews, known locally for his work at Southwood Kitchen and Ben’s Jr Bar-B-Q. Matthews opened Southwood Kitchen in Daphne in 2017, and the restaurant drew national attention in October 2023 when it was featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” with host Guy Fieri. Matthews has described Southwood’s style as “casual, fine dining,” and the new venture marks a turn toward Latin flavors.

A growing appetite in Baldwin County

The new arrivals reflect the steady growth of Baldwin County, one of the fastest-growing counties in Alabama. New residents along the Eastern Shore and in south Baldwin have brought demand for more dining options, from national chains like Dutch Bros and Firehouse Subs to chef-driven local concepts such as Volanta and independent specialty shops like Caffeinatrix.

Greer’s plans in Magnolia Springs are notable for another reason: according to the planning commission minutes, the company sees the store as a model whose look will carry over to future Greer’s locations.

Quick guide

• Now open: Dutch Bros Coffee, 30943 Mill Lane, Spanish Fort
• Winter 2026: Caffeinatrix, 3757 Gulf Shores Parkway, Unit BC, Gulf Shores
• Under construction: Firehouse Subs, 21862 Alabama 59, Robertsdale
• Coming soon: Volanta, 800 N. Section St., Fairhope
• Summer 2027: Greer’s Markets, 14627 U.S. 98, Magnolia Springs