Nati Tesfaye, Contributing Photographer

The Jitter Bus has been serving up coffee from its eponymous mobile storefront since 2016. On a given weekday, students and faculty members commuting to work and classes can find the bus parked near the busy intersection of Grove Street and Prospect Street, outside  Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall. 

For the first time ever, the owners of the Jitter Bus have begun renting a brick-and-mortar site in the Wooster Square neighborhood to grow their business with a second location. The mobile Jitter Bus will remain at the Grove and Prospect Street location.  

Dan Barletta, one of the company’s co-founders and owners, described the move to a permanent location as a goal the group has had since opening in 2016.

“We had been looking to start a brick-and-mortar for a couple of years. We wanted to do it in New Haven for sure,” Barletta said. “We looked at a couple spots and either the rent was too high or it wasn’t the right location … There aren’t that many spots in the Wooster Square area, so [this location] was a great fit.” 

Barletta added that they found the Wooster Square site on Grand Avenue about a year ago. The building owner, Bruce Seymour, who Barletta met through a mutual friend, was “looking to add something to the neighborhood.”

Although the bus is near Grove and Prospect Street on weekdays, it can already be found in the Wooster Square neighborhood during the Saturday farmers market at Conte Hills West Middle School.

The founders had been looking for a brick-and-mortar site in 2016, but they were “simply too young,” Barletta said, and didn’t have enough capital, so they bought the bus and began their operations.

Barletta and his co-founder Paul Crosby are excited for the new venue and what it means for the business and community at large. 

“We’re hoping it will become a good spot in New Haven to come, work and hangout with friends,” he said. 

Seymour, the landlord at the Wooster Square location, shared similar sentiments. He hopes the shop will make the “community a better place.” He added that he would “never lease to cannabis dispensaries, alcohol vendors, or smoke shops.” 

He also highlighted the importance of respect as a pillar for a landlord-tenant relationship. Seymour, who when younger founded a DVD company that eventually failed to stay afloat, was unable to pay his rent, which Seymour said his landlord continually raised. 

Barletta emphasized community as an integral part of Jitter Bus’ mission. The company has a deep-rooted connection to Yale, and Barletta estimates that students and faculty make up “70-80 percent” of the van’s patrons. 

The group wants to strengthen this relationship as they look to expand further over the coming years. 

Students on campus are excited for the new site, even if it is far from Yale’s main campus. 

“I go [to the Jitter Bus] almost every day. They make great coffee and it’s great to see them growing,” Falco Emery ’26 said. “Getting a location is a step in the right direction, but I am concerned this could lead to an increase in prices.” 

The brick-and-mortar site will be located at 847 Grand Ave.