The inside of Iowa City’s Hyper Energy Bar boasts a colorful space decorated with murals, sitting in between ReUnion Brewery and The Stuffed Olive.
On a typical day, the line will stretch out the glass doors and into Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall as customers wait on a variety of fruity flavor combinations with names such as “Cosmic Lightning” and “Pink Power,” each cup with a striking color to match their creative names.
The specialty drink company, renowned for its caffeinated drinks, is set to open a new location in North Liberty in December. The new site will be Hyper Energy Bar’s second in the Johnson County area.
Hyper Energy Bar was originally run out of a food truck and opened its first physical store in Waukee, Iowa, in 2021. Since then, Hyper has opened nine stores in Iowa, and according to Alex McNeal, general manager at the Iowa City location, the energy bar plans to move into neighboring states.
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“We’ve just been rapidly expanding,” she said. “We’ve expanded into Illinois, Kansas City, and Omaha, so starting in the area and branching out like the states closest to us, but eventually we want to go anywhere and everywhere we can.”
Alex McNeal takes an order at Hyper Energy Bar in Iowa City on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Hyper Energy Bar will open a new location in North Liberty in December and opened the Iowa City location November of 2024. (Emma Calabro)
Hyper Energy Bar currently has four more locations, including North Liberty, listed on their website as “Coming Soon.” Others include Grand Island and Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Belton, Missouri.
McNeal said after the success of the Iowa City location, the company began to look at surrounding areas to build new stores. The energy bar was also looking for new ways to make the store more accessible, like including a drive through location in Johnson County.
“North Liberty is kind of just perfect because it’s by that big hospital, and there’s high schools there,” she said.
The Iowa City location opened in the Ped Mall opened in November 2024 and has been in high demand since. McNeal estimates the store gets about 500 customers per day, according to the energy bar’s customer logs. The success of this location is part of the reason the business is looking for other locations in the area.
The Iowa City location is slightly different than others, as it is the only walk-in location the store has. Other locations have seating and drive-throughs available, which the new North Liberty location will emulate.
“Just today even, starting from about 9 a.m. till maybe an hour ago, it was just a line out the door the whole day,” she said on Nov. 3.
McNeal said there has been great public interest in a new location, with the company sometimes receiving email requests about new store locations.
“When people come in here, they’re asking all the time, ‘When are you going to open one in my town?’ We literally will get emails asking, ‘Can you open one in this state?’” McNeal said.
Jalani Mack, an Iowa City resident and regular at the downtown location, said she heard about the North Liberty expansion through a Facebook post by the company. She is particularly excited for the drive-through aspect of the new location.
Camryn McKayj makes a drink at Hyper Energy Bar in Iowa City on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Hyper Energy Bar will open a new location in North Liberty in December and opened the Iowa City location November of 2024. McKayj will manage the Iowa City location after North Liberty’s opening. (Emma Calabro)
“I have to go through North Liberty to go to work, so it’s an easier stop for me to make rather than coming downtown to the one in Iowa City” she said.
Reese Anderson, a North Liberty resident and first-year University of Iowa student, also said the new location could make a difference on how often she goes to grab a beverage.
“When I’m home, I’m more of a drive in the car to go get a fun drink person,” she said.
Anderson also said the new location’s proximity to Liberty High School would likely increase sales at the location.
“I feel like they know their audience,” Anderson said, “They know who’s down here. I think teenage girls are very easily influenced, and I think they know what we like to spend our money on.”
An employee picks up drinks at Hyper Energy Bar in Iowa City on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Hyper Energy Bar will open a new location in North Liberty in December and opened the Iowa City location November of 2024. (Emma Calabro)