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Denbro Coffee and Custard opened its second Mountain Home location Friday inside the new Mountain Home Community and Aquatic Center, serving early swimmers, pickleball players and convention-goers from a sit-down cafe just off the building’s main lobby.
It is the first non-drive-thru location for the family-owned business, which has operated from a Highway 201 drive-thru since 2022.
The Mountain Home City Council awarded Denbro the cafe contract in November 2025 after four vendors toured the 883-square-foot space. The agreement gives Denbro 771 square feet of cafe area and 112 square feet of storage on a minimum one-year lease, with hours aligned to the community center’s daytime operation.
The cafe is now in full operation alongside the rest of the community center, which opened to the public over the weekend following Friday’s ribbon cutting. A 420-pound-per-hour ice cream machine was installed downstairs ahead of opening week.
Brothers Jackie and Joey Denwalt launched Denbro during the COVID-19 pandemic with no prior coffee experience. Jackie Denwalt, who also works as a Mountain Home police officer, runs day-to-day operations. Joey Denwalt, who sells boats in Hot Springs, handles the books. The brothers come from a family that operated boat dealerships and gas stations in Viola.
Manager Claire Brown, the Observer’s 2025 Business Woman of the Year, runs the Denbro team and built the menu around a medium Indonesian Sumatra blend with more than 40 syrup options from Torani and Monin. The business is one of the few in the Ozarks serving frozen custard alongside coffee, with a fresh-wrap menu that includes loaded chicken, Caesar, buffalo chicken, pizza and breakfast varieties.
The community center cafe gives the brothers the sit-down concept Jackie Denwalt has talked about pursuing since the business opened. The Highway 201 drive-thru is open 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
