Dutch Bros. Coffee is building one of its two Rio Rancho restaurants at this location on the east side of NM 528 in the southern part of the city. Photo by Argen Marie Duncan.

Near Smith’s Food and Drug Store and the Don Chalmers Used Car Outlet is the home of Rio Rancho’s second Dutch Bros. Coffee location.

Company’s spokeswoman Rilynn Davis said it location will open late this year.

“We can’t wait to open two locations in Rio Rancho this year and be a part of the community,” said Aaron Harris, vice president of Dutch Bros. real estate. “Rio Rancho is a great community! It’s an awesome area, with lots of sunshine which is perfect for an iced coffee, a Dutch Freeze or our signature Rebel energy drink.”

The first location in the Unser Gateway area at Unser Boulevard and Rincon Road is on schedule to open in the late summer or early fall, Davis said.

Each location will hire 30-35 employees, she said.

In early March, Davis told the Observer each location would hire 40 employees. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased that number.

“We’re hiring to ensure we can staff the location, but also follow guidelines and recommendations around social distancing,” Davis said. “We’re in a position where the pandemic hasn’t really impacted our hiring and shop numbers.”

The Oregon-based company will begin hiring employees for the Unser location at the end of June, she said.

Updates about employment can be found on the Dutch Bros. Facebook page and at dutchbros.com/employment.

The pandemic may also change the way the Unser location is opened, she said.

“We’re closely following all state, local and national guidelines. So, depending on the stage we’re in when we open, things may look a little different,” Davis said. “That could range from only serving through our drive-thru to having clearly marked areas for customers to stand to promote social distancing.”

The company maintains over 390 locations with about 12,000 employees in seven states, according to its website.

It dedicated its profits from April to support medical first responders through the fundraiser #FirstRespondersFirst.

“#FirstRespondersFirst is a really amazing initiative making a huge difference right now. We’re honored to help support this fund,” said Travis Boersma, CEO of Dutch Bros, on the website. “We started this business not just to sell coffee, but to make an impact in positive ways. We hope we can do that this April and be a light in these difficult times.”

For more information about Dutch Bros. Coffee, visit dutchbros.com.