America's Fastest-Growing Restaurant Chain Opens 120+ Locations—Here's Where
After securing the coveted title of America's fastest-growing restaurant chain in 2023, a booming brand has continued to add new locations at a rapid pace and recently reached a major growth milestone.
The drive-thru coffee chain 7 Brew just announced that it expects to end 2024 with "well over 300" shops in the United States. Since the brand ended 2023 with 180 American locations, this means that 7 Brew will have added more than 120 stores to its roster in one year.
It has already surpassed the 300-store milestone after a recent string of openings throughout Ohio, Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, and Arkansas, according to the announcement. Other markets that have received new 7 Brew stores this year include Connecticut, Florida, and West Virginia.
"I am incredibly proud of 7 Brew's achievements this year as we celebrate our 300th stand milestone. None of this would have been possible without the passion and dedication of our franchise partners," 7 Brew President Chris Dawson said in a statement. "This milestone reflects not only the hard work of our team but also the unwavering support of our loyal customers. It's a testament to our commitment to cultivating kindness with every cup we serve."
7 Brew's recent expansion accomplishments aren't surprising since the chain has been on a major expansion drive for years. The first 7 Brew stand opened in Arkansas in 2017, and the concept has been growing rapidly ever since kicking off its franchise program in 2021.
7 Brew had already secured a whopping 2,000 store commitments by the end of 2022, and CEO John Davidson has since said that the brand was on track to increase that total to 3,000, QSR Magazine reported.
The chain grew its total unit count by a whopping 373.7% in 2023, according to data from the food industry research company Datassential. That was a higher percentage than any other restaurant brand by a good margin. (The Peach Cobbler Factory was in second place with 358.3% unit growth.)
While 7 Brew was the fastest-growing chain overall, it was far from the only popular coffee concept that significantly expanded its footprint in 2024. Dutch Bros Coffee previously projected 150 to 165 new store openings in 2024 and said it plans to launch 4,000 shops over the next 10 to 15 years. Additionally, the latest earnings data shows that Starbucks added more than 2,100 shops to its system in the 12-month period that ended on Sept. 29, 2024.
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