Marylou's Recipe: Equal Parts Coffee — And Fun

When Marylou’s Coffee opened its new location inside the at 525 Killingly St. in June, the new store carried on the company's the tradition of having their female employees act as cheerleaders to help promote their new shop.

Now, about three months later, the shop has established itself as "the" new place for coffee the the busy road.

Brittaney Heath, the manager for Johnston location who has worked for the company for the past eight years at various sites, said that Marylou’s is a very different place than other franchise coffee shops.

“We have great personalities and [we] like to actually talk to the people and get to know them,” she said. “We actually know who you are when you walk in through the door and like to have your coffee ready for you.”

Heath said that the busiest times of the day are usually on weekend days between 8 and 9 a.m., and that Fridays and Saturdays see the most daily traffic come through the door. There are usually between three to four employees working, but sometimes it can be as many as five.

Their company motto is “Coffee + Marylou’s = Fun” and every drink on the menu is under $5.

In terms of the best selling items on the menu, Heath said that the breakfast sandwiches are the most popular item — demand is “insane," she said.

Popular drinks include “The Bunkie,” a mixture of chocolate milk with a hint of coffee; the “Girl Scout Cookie,” which tastes like a thin mint cookie; and “The Frostylou," a combination of strawberry, mocha and vanilla.

“I usually get the Funky Fanabla whenever I come to Marylou’s and it is really chocolaty,” said Eric Spano of Seekonk, MA. “They have great service and it’s a happy environment.”

Heath also recommended her choice for best drink.

“We have a Snickers [flavor], which a lot of people don’t know about because it’s not on our menu board, but it’s really good and tastes like the actual Snickers [candy bar;, she said.  “[It’s] our good secret seller we have.”

Marylou’s is open every day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and has a drive-thru at the Johnston location.  

Marylou's started in December, 1986, when Marylou Sandry opened up the first store in Hanover, MA, and then the second location was established four months later in Braintree, MA. Her goal was to have an inviting and pleasant atmosphere with the best tasting coffee around. Today, there are 29 locations throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

For new customers, Heath said that there are of a lot of great things to look forward to when visiting Marylou’s.

“First off, you have to come [in] and see the pink because everything is pink and that is the first thing everyone notices,” she said.  “We love meeting everyone and telling them about our products. If it’s a good day, we try to have you sample stuff and try something different.”