The Traveling Cup Delivers Cafe-Quality Coffee Right To Your Desk

Those who aren't already getting their coffee quickly or conveniently enough now can have their morning coffee brought right to their office door. Or at least, that's the service The Traveling Cup, a coffee-centered food truck that opened late last year, hopes to provide. 

The truck, which caters mostly to the business park crowd, is operated by father-daughter team Jonathan and Brittney Willis. Together, they go one step further than most food trucks by taking orders and delivering them directly to customers' desks.

The truck is more than a gimmick on wheels, and its extensive range of coffee options is quite impressive. The Traveling Cup is likely not the best choice for a black-coffee purist (though beans roasted at Passport Coffee in Scottsdale do make for a solid brew), but those who enjoy a little more adulteration in their morning beverage will be right at home. 

"We carry about 15 different flavors," Brittney Willis says. "It's all about making everyone happy and trying different things." 

The flavorings are not a distraction — beans go from roaster to cup within a 24-hour turnaround, so the coffee is fresh. That said, the folks at Traveling Cup prioritize fun and free choice. 

Daily specials include the "Tiger" (a mocha and caramel drink), a Snickers latte, and even a white chocolate strawberry mocha. In case that's not enough, the duo is also experimenting with flavor-infused whipped creams. 
Knowing this (and on enthusiastic recommendation from Jonathan Willis), we tried an iced gingerbread-flavored vanilla spiced chai latte. The name is a mouthful, and the flavors — strong, rich, and very sweet — don't pull any punches. Even so, we couldn't stop drinking it, and in a coffee landscape dominated by an escalating competition for the subtlest light roast or the smoothest cold brew, it's refreshing to see something so unabashedly fun. 

We also sprung for the truck's cinnamon rolls, which come courtesy of Mesa's Whole Grain Natural Bread Co.. Somewhat surprisingly, the rolls weren't too sweet and had a satisfying, almost sourdough-like taste and consistency. And though food is not the truck's focus, plans for breakfast burritos are in the works, as is the possibility of another truck. 

However, regardless of the operation's size, Jonathan Willis says he wants to keep things friendly and relaxed. 

"We want to keep things on a local level," he says. "Same mom-and-pop feel, but on a larger scale."