Cup of Ambition serves coffee too
The Cup of Ambition Mobile Coffee Bar (1170 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 843-591-6146) is named after a line in Dolly Parton’s 1980 song “9 to 5,” because owner Barbara Davey is a big fan of the singer. The truck focuses on coffee and doughnuts, Davey said.
“I offer made-to-order hot mini doughnuts. I’ve got many flavors to pick from. I’ve got some all put together that are named, but you can make your own. And I do all specialty coffees, iced coffees, frozen coffees, lattes, that sort of thing. I have a doughnut machine. I come in at about three in the morning and I start my batter. And I cook small-batch batter all day; it’s all homemade. My glazes are homemade. And I make doughnuts as they’re ordered, so they come right off the fryer, and they’re decorated the way that the customer wants them, and they’re served hot.”
These are not full-sized doughnuts, Davey said. “They’re probably 2 inches — maybe an inch and five eighths — in diameter.” And each variety is named after something Dolly Partonish.
“I’m all Dolly Parton-themed,” Davey said, “so I’ve got a lot of Dolly Parton doughnuts. I’ve got ‘Smoky Mountain Home,’ which is kind of like a cookies-and-cream [doughnut]. I’ve got a ‘Dolly Dipper,’ which is doughnut glazed with sparkles. I’ve got a ‘Jolene,’ which has cinnamon sugar and glitter dust. I do an ‘Islands in the Stream,’ which is a warm breakfast blend, vanilla with cinnamon sugar. I have another one, ‘Coat of Many Colors,’ which is vanilla and chocolate glazed with rainbow sprinkles. I’ve got a ‘Gatlinburg Maple Magic,’ which is maple and brown sugar cinnamon. So I do a lot of different things.”
Like many food truck operators, Davey keeps her customers updated on social media.
“I’m on Facebook, I’m on TikTok, and I’m on Instagram,” she said. “I really keep up on my social media to let them know if I’m open 6 to 2 that day or if I’m open 7 to 2. I try to really nail down a time. Just because if people are going to work I want them to be able to plan, and I’ve got it set up where some of my regular customers have my cell phone number so they can just text me their order so when they get here it’s done. And I bring it right out to their car.”
At this point Cup of Ambition has been open about a month, so it’s still early days, but Davey said business has been good from the start.
“We’re actually doing great,” she said. “This past Saturday I had lines of customers waiting to order, so it was phenomenal. It was great. People have been talking about me on social media. They’re referring people over. They’re having great experiences, and that’s kind of what I wanted to bring. I didn’t want to just bring good heartwarming food. I wanted to bring a good vibe and just a happy, you know, a happy time when you’re there.”
“And everybody’s happy when they get coffee for sure.”
Featured photo: Mini doughnuts at A Cup of Ambition. Courtesy photo.