We built a coffee shop around the drive-thru.
Ember & Oat started in 2019 as one window in Onalaska. Almost everyone who came by was in a car, on the way somewhere, and running a little late. So we built everything around that.
Why drive-thru only.
Our first spot had room for two benches and a bike rack, and the line of cars went around the building by 7 am. We tried adding tables. Nobody sat at them. People here want good coffee on the way to work, to practice, to the cabin, and they want it fast.
So every Ember & Oat is built around the lane. Two lanes where we have the room, an order-ahead lane for the morning rush, and windows set low enough that you don’t have to unbuckle. The menu is short on purpose, so the line keeps moving.
Holmen opened in 2021 and La Crescent in 2023, right where people come off the bridge from La Crosse. Each one makes its own cold brew and gets pastries delivered fresh every morning.
Things we do on purpose.
Oat milk is the default.
It’s half our name. It never costs extra, and neither does almond. Whole, 2% and skim are always there too.
Doubles come standard.
Small and medium lattes get two shots, large gets three. Ask for a single and we’ll pull one.
A lane for ordering ahead.
Onalaska and La Crescent have a whole lane for it. In Holmen, your name at the speaker gets you straight to the window.
Cold brew made on site.
Steeped 18 hours in small batches at each drive-thru, not shipped in.
Cider from up the road.
Every fall the apple cider chai uses fresh-pressed cider from orchards around La Crescent.
A text line for orders.
If the speaker doesn’t work for you, text your order to (608) 555-0128 and pull up.
Who’s at the window.
Maren Haugen started Ember & Oat after years of making coffee in La Crosse and wondering why the drive-thru always got the worst of it. She still works the Onalaska window most Saturday mornings.
The crew is mostly people from Onalaska, Holmen and La Crescent: students working early shifts, a few lifers, and at least one person who can name every regular’s dog.
Work with us
We hire for early mornings and weekends at all three drive-thrus, and we train from scratch. Email jobs@emberandoat.coffee with the shifts you can work.
