Two months after opening its doors in North Liberty, Hyper Energy Bar’s second location is drawing steady traffic and strengthening its presence in the community. Managers say the expansion is helping the brand’s overall footprint rather than dividing it.
Hyper Energy Bar originally began as a food truck and opened its first store in Waukee, Iowa, in 2021. As of 2026, the business has opened 13 locations, including stores in Iowa City, Ames, Des Moines, and Norwalk.
Hyper is in the process of adding four more locations and has expanded into neighboring states, including Illinois, Kansas, and Nebraska, according to their website.
The energy bar offers a variety of energy drinks, including flavors like “Pink Power” with white chocolate, strawberry, and watermelon, “Cosmic Lightning” with peach, mango, and pineapple, and “Berry Bolt” with blueberry, raspberry, and pomegranate. They also have a coffee menu where they sell lattes, cold brew, and americanos.
RELATED: Hyper Energy Bar will open a new location in North Liberty
The North Liberty location opened its doors in December 2025 and has since exceeded expectations, General Manager Alex McNeal said. Because of the drive-thru window offered at the location, McNeal said the store is often seen with a line of over 20 cars waiting to order.
Hyper Energy Bar declined to share specific data regarding foot traffic at its North Liberty and Iowa City locations. According to previous reporting by The Daily Iowan in December, the Iowa City location sees around 500 customers per day.
“I see lots of positive reactions, people love us,” McNeal said. “We’ve already got people that I recognize come in literally every day. So we’re getting those regulars pretty quickly.”
McNeal said the anticipation for the North Liberty location was driven by the Iowa City location’s popularity. Since opening, weekly inventory orders of syrups, disposable food and drink packaging, and their energy drink base Lotus have steadily increased.
“Because I do all the ordering every week, I’m having to increase by a little bit what I’m ordering,” McNeal said. “We’re just getting busier and busier.”
In Iowa City, General Manager Camryn McKay said sales have remained stable. She said sales tend to follow predictable patterns that follow the University of Iowa’s calendar, local events, and seasonal weather shifts.
“If we’re looking at the weather and who’s in town and what is going on in the area, I feel like we can always get a pretty good grasp at what our sales are going to be, which is really nice,” she said.
The new location in North Liberty was built with a drive-thru option, unlike the Iowa City location, which has in-person ordering only. McKay said this makes the new location more weather resistant.
“When it’s cold, it’s a lot easier for people to hop in their car and wait in the drive-thru rather than park, walk, and show up here,” McKay said. “So I think maybe the colder days are a little bit slower than they typically would be.”
Demographically, McKay said each store draws a distinct customer base. North Liberty sees strong traffic from high school students, families, and employees at the UI’s Pediatric Clinic located across the street from Hyper.
Iowa City continues to serve a large population of college students, as Hyper is located in downtown Iowa City. For UI first-year Macie Gum, Hyper offers what she looks for in an energy drink.
“It’s the perfect fun drink that is a pick-me-up between class or on the go,” Gum said. “They also offer a variety of drinks to choose from, which I enjoy.”
Looking ahead, McNeal said she is focusing on community engagement for the North Liberty location.
“My goal is to do some events and things like that,” McNeal said. “I wanted to try to get something with the hospital just because they’re so close to us. So I think I’m just trying to really reach out to the community.”