Member Spotlight: The Thirsty Armadillo
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Mike and Cindy Burleson are local icons in the community. Cindy moved to Buchanan Dam in 1969 and has called Buchanan home for 57 years. She graduated from Llano and was raised in a family where community service and showing up for your neighbors was something you just did as a normal part of every day life. Mike graduated from Burnet, and yet despite that high school rivalry, the two married twenty years ago and have built multiple businesses over the year for the betterment of our bellies and our palates!
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Mike is a Navy veteran who owns his own general contracting company, AMC Home Improvements. Cindy has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 32 years. In 2022, a coffee shop in Kingsland was for sale and the two decided to purchase it and turn it into a premiere coffee shop for the area. Cindy said,
“We wanted to create something beautiful and special here. We spent a lot of time making sure the beans, the espresso, and cold brew were just right. That’s the foundation and if that’s not right, it doesn’t matter what flavors you layer on top.” Originally, The Thirsty Armadillo was in Kingsland. But it has been Mike’s and Cindy’s dream since acquiring the coffee shop to move it next to their other business, AW Tacos in Buchanan Dam. When they closed AW Tacos for the winter this past January, they realized the time was right to move The Thirsty Armadillo down the road. “Logistically it makes sense for me, for the staff, for our customers, to have full service from both our businesses in one place,” said Mike. “This is the right time for the move.” |
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The Thirsty Armadillo features a menu of over 100 drinks with over 100 custom syrups, sugar-free syrups, cold foams, and Boba. Mike and Cindy’s goal was to ensure every single customer can get their perfect drink, fully customized, any time of the year. If someone wants pumpkin spice in March or peppermint in August with specialty cold foam or whipped cream and extra caffeine, they can do that here. Additionally, customers can get any coffee drink served hot, iced, or blended.
The Thirsty Armadillo also has energizers and refreshers available. Refreshers are usually teas with added flavors where energizers have caffeine added. They also offer teas - hot or iced - lemonade, shaved ice, and a one-of-a-kind frozen hot chocolate. “When we opened The Thirsty Armadillo, my dad told me he would not pay more than a few dollars for coffee… but he came every day and bought a frozen hot chocolate! It was his absolute favorite. It still makes me laugh thinking about it and how much Dad loved supporting the coffee shop,” said Cindy. |
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The Thirsty Armadillo is now located at 7390 RM 1431 in Buchanan Dam, next to AW Tacos. Drive thru and delivery is available and their hours are still Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 7 AM to 6 PM. Stop by and say hello to the whole Thirsty Armadillo team!