Only a month after going “family friendly, bikini baristas are back

A CLARIFICATION: This coffee shop is technically in the City of Lynnwood, though the other 3 corners of the intersection are the City of Mountlake Terrace.

Only a month after going “family friendly”, the coffee stand at 212th St SW and 44th Ave W now has a large sign that says “BIKINI HUT.”

The coffee stand was sold in July and about a month ago had a new green paint job done on the place,was renamed to ‘Headrush’ and had the barista uniform changed up. They had a large sign that said “FAMILY FRIENDLY” and even offered free hot cocoa to kids.

Apparently the change wasn’t good for business because here we are just a month later and the bikinis are back.

What is your opinion of bikini baristas? Like them? Don’t? Don’t care? Let us know in the comments.

Headrush Coffee on in November 2010. Photo by Mark Hopkins


Headrush Coffee in October 2010, after going "family friendly"

  1. Honestly, I don’t care all that much. Let them parade themselves around in bikinis. My thought is, if you’re a parent and don’t like it, don’t take your kid there… There are 4 places (Albertsons, AMPM, that coffee place outside AMPM, and Urban City) right on that corner to get coffee. :/

    1. That’s right! Leave them alone. If it bothers people that much don’t look. This
      is a free country the last time I check ha ha.

  2. I love how it says “Bikini Hut” and it actually has cars. Apparently that’s what it takes to sell coffee on that corner. I’m fine with that. All those stands have garbage coffee regardless the clothing, so I just pass them by.

  3. We live just down the street from there and pass by often. I say pass by because we weren’t patrons of either management team. However, soon after it became “family friendly” I commented to my wife that while I am not in favor of bikini baristas, with 3 other coffee stands within rock throwing distance, that was the only way to differentiate themselves from the competition. In fact, they were selling the same coffee as Urban across the street. What I saw was tons of construction vehicles and pickup trucks daily. I saw no traffic during the last month. Which makes better business sense? Not sure since neither flourished, but the latest rendition should make more money.

  4. Not terribly happy about the whole mess, but if you want good coffee without all the skin, head to Expresso Break over by D&D Meats. Been going there since I was a kid, and glad to see they’re still around. 🙂

    1. Try being on this peoples shoes so you think they are happy? I don’t think so.
      They are trying so hard to make it in this economy have compassion and be
      a nice person for once. See where it gets you. In NY all the mom and pops
      coffee shop are so upset with Starbucks because they hurt their business that
      they closed it that hurts. This coffee bikini stands are not hurting you personally so have a life.

      1. There’s no reason for you to be so negative towards me. The article asked for opinions, and I gave my own. I’m fully aware that the economy is difficult to deal with right now. I’m not blaming the people that work there, I’m blaming the phenomenon in general. I think you need to understand that not everyone agrees with people that have to go to such extreme lengths to get business, and I do truly wish that it didn’t need to be so.

        So chill the heck out and have a cup of joe.

      2. You know, on second thought, you’re attacking literally everyone who commented on this article. I never intended to stoop this low, but I think it’s obvious here who needs to take a step back and have a breather.

    1. Something is wrong with your eye bright green is in where have you been. I can
      not believe how some of you are so hypocrites You watch football with all the
      the skin of the cheerleaders you see, same difference. So wake up hypocrites.

      1. You sir… or ma’am… are slightly annoying. Maybe they DO know what ghetto looks like. Have YOU followed them around their whole life? No? So do you know for a fact they’ve never been to a ghetto area? Didn’t think so.

  5. That place just can’t make its mind up. I feel bad for the owner. Whether they know it or not they’re in way over their head when it comes to running a business.

    1. Have you been in business? You do not know anything so leave them alone.
      You Northwest people are always behind eight ball.

    2. Woooah back up, you don’t know anything about the owner. They just tried something new, and it didn’t work, so they went back to what worked.

  6. I bike to work right by this coffee stand each morning. Needless to say they needed the bikinis because business got a little slow the last month. Also, after seeing the terribly ugly grounds (come on, pick a weed or two) and horrendous colors the business needed something attractive to lure in customers. To each their own. I’ll continue to support Urban City Coffee.

    1. Which is funny, because at least in the month that they were “Family- Friendly” they sold Urban City Coffee. There is a sticker in the bottom right hand corner of the window I believe, that says “Proudly serving Urban City Coffee”.

  7. Something for every customer. America’s diversity on show! Given the proximity to I-5 on and off ramps, this was probably a good idea. Just hope the girls can stay warm. For real diversity, they should have a muscle-guy in a bikini just to freak the male customers out and/or offer the ladies something new.

  8. This is funny. Washington was the first place to even pioneer the idea of bikini coffee stands. Honestly, if you really do not like the idea of going there and seeing women in their bikinis, it’s as simple as don’t go to that place. The fact that they had to change it back really does state how opening a new business and maintaining it is really tough. Also that this is what it takes for them to survive. I heard from a friend they are opening it up to make it a cafe. Haha and I am pretty sure the colors are that way is because of the Seahawks and Sounders. And actually the baristas make a good cup of coffee. Give them a chance, it’s always nice to help a new business survive in this horrible economy

    1. You sound like a sensible young smart girl I can tell not all these old folks from the Northwest/Seattle ha ha cause you from NY CITY. THIS IS AMERICA FOLKS, THEY ARE NOT HURTING YOU. FOR ALL YOU KNOW THESE SO
      CALLED BIKINI BARISTAS ARE REALLY NICE DESCENT GIRLS AND MAY
      BECOME DOCTORS AND NURSES IN THE FUTURE AND WHO KNOWS
      WILL EVENTUALLY HELP YOU IN YOUR OLD DAYS LOL. HA HA.

  9. Look… its about business. Assuredly, the recent change something akin to survival! To each his own… support the business if its convenient and the coffee and service are good. If you don’t know, check it out. The girls in bikini… they’re not hurting anyone. What’s wrong with looking at something sexy and beautiful with your “Coffee to Go”. And Green is better than Red, after all, it’s the area’s professional sports color-theme. Pardon me Mr. Fisher… you are a SQUARE!

  10. The fact of the matter is, bikini espresso stands are more profitable. If you do not like bikini stands then you do not have to purchase coffee from them. Headrush Espresso isn’t doing anything bad, they are a legitimate business trying to survive in a down economy.

    1. “The fact of the matter is, bikini espresso stands are more profitable.” Uh, what evidence do you have for that? Your own brilliant intuition? I would love to see some statistics that back that up.

      And even if that were to be true, just because something is profitable doesn’t make it a great idea. Human trafficking is also profitable and I think the vast majority of us can agree that that should not be allowed.

      1. Did you just compare selling coffee in a bikini to human trafficking? Bit of a stretch?

        Based on the difference in traffic at this stand between bikini/family friendly and the owners returning to the bikini format, it appears in this case being a bikini stand is more profitable. I don’t think it takes “brilliant intuition” to come up with that.

  11. Wow… this topic is almost as volatile as politics! 🙂

    Personally, I don’t like it, but I also stand behind their right to run a business like this, provided they aren’t providing ‘extra sugar’ like some of the Everett area flesh-colored coffee stands were doing.

    I think it’s odd, and won’t be buying any coffee there (like we used to… before the first round of pasty pastry deliveries) and certainly won’t take my kids there.

    If the lonely boys feel they need a bigger jolt than what their double shot grande mocha gives them, and it makes the ‘hut’ money, more power to them. I’ll keep driving though.

    1. We’re in america and no matter what, sex will sell. Your wife must have you whipped if you have to be so negative towards something, will she cut you off from sex if you look at those girls or would you prefer the men bikini stand in Capital Hill? You must not allow your kids at the beach or pool either. It’s really sad that people are so ignorant and can’t accept people no matter what they believe.

      1. Huh? Not sure why you decided to attack me on that one ‘Guest’ (Pretty easy to attack someone at a juvenile level behind the anonymity of a ‘Guest’ post)

        I wasn’t being negative at all, in fact, I clearly stated that I stand behind their right to conduct business that way. I also said that if the change makes them more money, so be it! I just won’t go there, and that is my right, and as a parent, it’s my right to censor that which I feel needs censoring. You really have no business attacking me, my parenting or my wife. The ignorance clearly falls on you my hiding friend.

  12. I did not realize a small eyesore in MLT/Lynnwood generate so much interest from people in NYC. I’d love to see the IP addresses on those comments to see where they actually came from 😉

  13. It’s OK by me, though I won’t patronize bikini barista shops myself. Has nothing to do with being adverse to skin, has everything to do with not liking coffee. Give me my caffeine cold, sweet and carbonated!

  14. Tandy and Brandy must be the same person. And hey girls, the question was “What is your opinion of bikini baristas? Like them? Don’t? Don’t care? Let us know in the comments,” so why can’t people give their opinion without your New York wrath?

    1. no, I am not the same as Brandy I happen to live in Seattle and New York, I have homes in Seattle and New York. You ask so here I am to you
      Catskoor’s question to me wearing bikini at coffee stand is like wearing bikini at
      sunny Hawaii beach and the hotel swimming pool, they do not bother me. My
      freinds, sisters, daughters wear bikinis. You can not stop these girls from wearing them anywhere they want. And to you Josh the reason for my interest is that this bikini barista thing is not really bad.

  15. I am amused by the revulsion some folks have for the human form. Boobies, you say? The things babies are nourished with? It’s quite fitting for a latte establishment, considering the amount of milk they go through.
    If some guys are going to tip more because of a lump of fatty tissue being slightly more exposed than normal, then power to the girls that can take advantage of the evolutionarily ingrained senses of the male of the species.
    I second the need for a “Hot-Guy-In-Bikini” barista establishment and would at least drop by to see how they mix their beverages.
    *Know what I mean? Wink Wink, nudge nudge*

  16. I don’t care that they exist. If people want to look at half naked ladies while they are getting their coffee and the ladies are ok with what they are doing, who are we to judge. My only issue is that the door to this location opens up on 44th Ave W and if you are on this road and sitting at the light waiting for it to change, you can see them half naked standing there (which doesn’t bother me as an adult and is pretty funny watching the guys in the surrounding vehicles) but my daughter who is 7 asks questions about why the ladies need to be naked to sell coffee. My 3 year old son just yells boobies 🙂

  17. If the girls can pay for college doing this and do not think that they are putting themselves in danger than who are we to judge? But then again I have 3 daughters that i would be worried sick if they chose that path. Too many sickos out there!

  18. Who cares? If it makes them money, that’s great. Bikinis cover everything that needs to be covered in public, so they’re not breaking any laws, and aren’t exposing children or anyone else to anything they don’t see at the beach, around the pool or on TV. If the employees are fine with it then that’s all that matters. People who think it’s cool will buy their coffee there and people who don’t will go elsewhere. It’s not like there’s a shortage of coffee places in the area.

      1. What they’re wearing has nothing to do with what they’re selling, though. If they’re selling illegal substances, bust them for that. People sell that stuff in ski jackets and overalls and whatever all else, though; the bikinis are a separate issue. 🙂

        1. What they’re wearing (or not) has EVERYTHING to do with what the baristas in Everett were selling and ultimately arrested and charged for: prostitution. And I think that’s what many are worried about. Just how MUCH skin are other baristas showing at this, or any other, bikini hut. Certainly not implying that they are, just that is probably the basis for most concern from the community.

  19. It’s not about what you wear, it’s about how you act. These girls aren’t selling anything but coffee. If you want family friendly then cross the street.

  20. honestly, i don’t like it. the house right behind the bikini barista stand seems like it has 3 children living there
    i wouldn’t want my kids around that kind of stuff.

    1. So you wouldn’t want to have a house right on the beach, then, either? Or live in an apartment complex with a pool? Bikinis are bikinis; an unusual context doesn’t make them any dirtier.

    2. Those kids with the house behind the coffee stand sees more women wearing
      bikinis in a public pool, the beach and magazines. They only see one or
      two bikini barista is not likely to hurt their childhood. Sure people are concern
      about the impact of negative or bad stuff around children but honestly they are not
      a detrimental sight when one is wearing a sexy outfit.

  21. Personally, this coffee shop should just shut down. It can not seem to figure out what it would like to be. The other two coffee shops near by are always busy and this one I barley ever see a car there. My opinion, make it a tanning salon or hair studio of some sort.

  22. I don’t care one way or the other, but I do think that it should never be visible to “general public” from the road and walkways, especially when it is lingerie that they are in. 8 year old children in the back seat of a car at a red light don’t need to see that. It wouldn’t be allowed at a dance club to be visible, so it shouldn’t be at other businesses either.

    1. The beach, the pool is “general public” Just go to the beach in San Diego you see
      hundreds of bikini baristas on the road and walkways. Kids see far worse than
      bikinis which is the clothes they wear in exotic islands of Hawaii.

  23. Laura Kitts I’m not thrilled that the one at 212th and 44th is back to being a bikini stand a month later… I don’t care for them, I don’t like explaining to my kids (and we can see everything from the street), especially my daughter, while trying to teach her to have a sense of modesty….. and I’m just simply tired of them. Over-saturation at its epitome.

    Also, while sitting at the light today, I watched a car pull up and the barista peel off her warm jacket to freeze while making the drink…

    Also, as a firmer barista, back when coffee was tasteful, I learned that hot drinks hurt like bell, when spilled, even with layers if clothes on.. and that water us about 200 degrees. I still have a scar on my arm from the steamwand….. imagine that was on your boob!

  24. By the looks of that building, I would be afraid to eat or drink anything that came out of there even if it was family friendly. There are lots of other places to get coffee that are family friendly and don’t look like dilapidated lime green shacks.

    1. It’s not a dirty place C_S_ I’ve bought coffee there and saw the inside it is clean
      and the building and paint is not so bad. Green is in better than the red paint.
      You should try their coffee it’s not bad .l I love Starbucks but when I tried
      the Head rush coffee it was good. I find that the food and drinks from small
      mom and pop establishment taste better.

  25. I’m probably the most conservative person in MLT heck in all of sno/king (except maybe John Z.) and even I can’t see anything wrong with this type of business.

    I never understood the argument about not exposing your childeren to this.. Huh? People are afraid of exposing there kids to nature? make no sense to me. Why is it more acceptable for kids to be exposed to violence and gore in movies and video games, but the female body is taboo?

  26. Two weeks ago while we were in another town, my husband said, “Hey, let’s stop at that coffee shack over there. It’s pretty good,” so I pulled in. Ha! The girls were dressed in naughty school girl outfits, which made my husband blush.
    “It wasn’t like this the last time I came here,” he swore. Of course, that was the beginning of a lot of teasing for him! The point I’m (poorly) trying to make is that bikini coffee shops are selling the chance to ogle at a mostly naked young woman for the price of a cup of coffee. Most of us don’t get the chance to ogle mostly naked young women because this is the Pacific Northwest and it’s too cold most of the year!

    In San Diego, all you have to do is go to the beach, but here it’s bikini baristas or nothing at all, I guess. Of course children will ask why those poor girls are shivering in a little shack, because they know it’s cold outside and wonder why they aren’t wearing warm clothes like the rest of us. Why not tell them the truth, then?
    “Oh honey, some people like staring at naked girls and this is as close to naked as the law allows.”

    1. Ya, I was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Seeing Bikini’s makes me want to go someplace warm and sit on the beach workin up a tan. All I do round here is rust.

  27. Randomly found this post again. I have to say that this spot in MLT has been an eyesore ever since this coffee shop closed. I’d rather have the bikini baristas back. 

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