Editor’s note: Beauty and the Beast is also owned and operated by Bruce Dotson.

Beauty and the Beans, a new drive-through espresso stand in Covington, is not the kind of place where scantily-clad girls serve coffee.

In spite of what its name suggests, it is not a bikini barista stand, which its owner, Michelle Doyal, said it gets mistaken for from time to time.

“I’ve had moms pull up, slam on the brakes, look at me, then put their heads down and say, “Thank God. I’m so glad you have your clothes on,” she said.

Michelle Doyal opened the stand on March 12 and has seen business steadily grow. Not the biggest fan of coffee in the world, Michelle Doyal said, that she decided to open the stand after hearing repeated comments from friends about the need for a drive-through stand. Currently, it is the only independent drive-through coffee stand in Covington.

Beauty and the Beans specialty is in milkshakes and white coffee, which has quadruple the caffeine level of regular coffee. Michelle Doyal calls it the “wicked white wakeup,” which has a nuttier, sweeter flavor than regular espresso.

“Forget Rockstar,” she said. “That’s child’s play.”

Located across from Kentwood High and sharing a lot with Foss Market, Michelle Doyal said, Beauty and the Beans provides specials for students who get straight As on their report cards.

Also working at the stand are Doyle’s daughter, Aeighla, as well as her niece, Britni Erie. Aeighla Nelson said she also encounters customers who are uncertain of the business model.

“We still get, ‘Oh, you have clothes on, good,’” she said.

Michelle Doyal stated that it took her nearly two years to open the stand due to permits and issues with the property they were located on. They also had to put in a dry well for natural filtration as well as a drainage area.

“They wanted to get everything up to code,” she said. “It was such a battle getting it up.”

Eventually Michelle Doyal said she plans to install a walk on deck.

To others attempting to open up their own small stand, Michelle Doyle said, the most essential thing is to not quit when problems arise.

“Don’t give up,” she said. “That’s be my biggest thing. I wanted to give up, but I didn’t. There’s always a way to make it work.”

Beauty and the Beans is located at 25625 164th Ave. SE Covington next to the Foss Market.

It is open from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.