Ampersand on South University Drive is expanding again, this time into the old Jimmy John’s space next door.
The outside view of Ampersand expansion. (TCU360/Lexi Kilpatrick)
The coffee shop originally took over the space that was Doc’s Records. In 2019, the neighboring store, The Box, closed. Ampersand expanded into that space and doubled its original size. Now, the space has since been outgrown and is preparing to expand again into the former Jimmy John’s.
“This space has been in our landlord’s family for his whole life, and there are so many memories attached to it,” said Toan Luong, co-founder of Ampersand. “Knowing the history behind it, we feel it’s our responsibility to carry it on.”
Michael Compton, Ampersand’s store manager, oversees the University Drive location.
“The growth in particular with us (Ampersand) is more so because of the growth of TCU,” said Luong. “The spot next door came to market, and we decided to take it over.
“We’ve grown a lot, but more importantly we’ve only gotten here because of the TCU community supporting us throughout the years,” Luong added.
Toan also gave credit to his staff. “I am the CEO, but I am the least talented person on my team. I’ve been really fortunate enough to have a really great team.”
The expansion will make room for a full-sized kitchen for making pastries in-house, a full menu of grab-and-go options that provide fresh food in one convenient stop, a redesigned espresso bar to better serve customers on the go and additional seating.
John Tran, Ampersand’s director of operations, will be leading the culinary side of the new addition.
Luong said the building is being demolished, and they are doing as much as they can until they have to take down the wall in between the two spaces. Their plan is to close the location during winter break when classes are not in session to minimize the impact on students.
Construction workers inside of former Jimmy John’s are transforming the area for Ampersand latest expansion. (TCU360/Lexi Kilpatrick)
The goal is to have the space ready for students by January 2027, said Dominick Vu, co-founder of Ampersand.
Emma Paschall, a junior biology major, said Ampersand is a convenient place to study before exams because she lives south of University Drive and stops there on her way to class.
“This is a good pre-exam spot for me. I like it a lot,” Paschall said. “I think expanding will be really good. A lot of students like studying here, and the tables fill up really fast.”
The South University Drive location is the first piece in the expansion program as they are adding a fourth shop in the new terminal at the DFW airport.