Pictured: As the weather starts to heat up, cool down with an iced latte from Bad Ass Coffee in Lakewood Ranch.

In 1989, the original Bad Ass Coffee opened on the Big Island of Hawaii. Since then, franchises have popped up in 14 states. In January, longtime friends Michael Miller and Dan Slavin brought Bad Ass Coffee to Lakewood Ranch when they opened their own franchise.

“Normally I could just have one cup of coffee a day and then I’m done and it doesn’t really matter where it came from,” says Slavin. “But a friend of mine has a Bad Ass store in Naples and once I drank this coffee I was like, ‘Whoa, this is really good.’”

Slavin had been retired for a few years but was feeling bored and antsy, and he believed in the coffee so much, he decided to open his own franchise with his friend. And while he’s still very excited about the food and drinks they sell, Bad Ass has become so much more than a coffee shop. In recent years, bigger chain coffee places have gotten rid of comfortable chairs and placed time limits on how long patrons can linger. Slavin is taking the opposite approach, ensuring Bad Ass Coffee is an inviting spot for the community to gather together, whether that’s for meetings, book clubs, working, studying or playing board games.

“Our focus is to create an atmosphere where people are comfortable and want to come and hang out,” says Slavin.

In addition to the inviting environment, Bad Ass also serves up tasty drinks and food. For traditional coffee drinkers, try the smooth 10% or 100% Kona brewed fresh throughout the day. Got a sweet tooth? Go for one of their specialty lattes, like the Three Waves with coconut, caramel, and macadamia nut. (If you get it iced, you’ll notice the ice cubes are made of coffee so your drink doesn’t get all watered down which is a great bonus.) Don’t forget to sample one of their breakfast sandwiches like the Aloha, with ham, egg, swiss cheese, pineapple and BBQ drizzle, served on Kings Hawaiian sweet bread.

Bad Ass Coffee, 6588 University Parkway, Sarasota, 941-217-6001.

Pictured: As the weather starts to heat up, cool down with an iced latte from Bad Ass Coffee in Lakewood Ranch.