Commentary by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — I’m all giddy about the prospects of Wellington getting a Scooter’s Coffee Shop.

It is my go-to caffeine-drinking establishment in Wichita; much better than Starbucks.

So I say this with all the love and affection I can muster to the school and city leaders of Wellington. Please don’t blow it.

I can’t remember the last time a restaurant chain expressed interest in locating in Wellington. I know it hasn’t been since the pandemic. Have we had anything since the turn of the century?

Franchisee owners for Scooters came to the school board to ask if they could buy or lease land on the west end of the school property to build a drive-thru restaurant with an entry outlet to the east parking lot at Casey’s East (see story here).

Social media has been abuzz since. To be fair, there is a lot of excitement and positive comments. Still, some people can’t help themselves.

Several have remarked that this isn’t the right location. It should be on the north side of U.S. 160, or it should be at the roundabout, or on the west side of town. Blah, blah, blah.

Do you know where the best location for Scooter’s Coffee should be?

Wherever the hell the owners want to build it.

It’s their money. Unless you have investment capital in the venture and it meets proper code and zoning regulations, where it goes is none of our business.

I personally like the location because it does one thing. You would notice it.

Impulse buying accounts for between 40 and 80 percent of all purchases. For me, it’s about 112 percent.

I don’t plan things. If I’m driving down the road and suddenly move my neck right and see the Scooters sign, I’ll instantly say to myself, “yeah, I want a cappuccino,” and make a Dukes of Hazzard driving maneuver to get there.

Someone on Facebook said it should be put behind the McDonald’s where that unfinished monstrosity of rebar, concrete slab, and torn-up insulation is.

We all want something done to that monument to human incompetency, but why would a business that depends completely on drive-thru traffic want to build off of U.S. 160, whose view would be obstructed by Mcdonald’s?

Then there are legions of people who think it shouldn’t be on school property – as if it is hallowed grounds. These are probably the same people who voted against the school bond election three times more than 20 years ago.

But what difference does it make?

It isn’t like they are building the Scooter’s on the front lawn of the high school. The other day because I am an utter nerd, I walked between the building and the proposed coffee shop. You are talking around more than 1,000 feet with a drainage ditch in between. By car, it is about two-10ths of a mile from the front entrance of the high school to Casey’s convenience store parking lot.

There is plenty of room between the high school and a proposed Scooter’s.

I think the school will be fine. And I’m guessing that in the past 18-or-so years since the high school was built that the far northwest corner of the property has never been used for educational purposes.

Also, it’s a silly argument anyway. I remember when I was taking my kids up to Wichita State University for swim practice, and they had a Chick-fil-A in the food court before it was anyplace else. That’s private business on public property.

Haven’t we had food truck vendors at Worden Park or Heritage Park? Or how about pop machines in the high school? Those are private companies selling carbonated sugar water inside the school facility.

Someone worried about Coffeeshop No. 7. I thought Kim Mraz, the owner, had a well-thought-out response.

Click to enlarge.

So I’m thinking, since Wellington isn’t really hopping with new business ventures coming into town anyway, we probably shouldn’t be so picky when an entrepreneur expresses a desire to do so. And that goes for about anything, whether it be a straw plant, a rodeo arena, an aircraft plant, or a downtown beauty salon that can bring jobs and revenue to the area.

I urge the civic leaders of this community not to overthink this.

If we want Wellington to grow, perhaps, we can all relax and discuss it over a streaming brew of coffee.

Follow us on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter.