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For more than a decade, the restaurant industry research firm Technomic has published an annual rundown of America’s favorite chains. This year’s list includes three coffee chains in the top ten. It’s the first time so many coffee chains have been in the top ten—and it’s not the chains you might think.
As Alicia Kelso reports for Nation’s Restaurant News, the top 10 list has 7 Brew in second place, Scooter’s Coffee in third place, and Dutch Bros in fifth.
The three chains have a lot in common: They are all fast-growing, convenience- and value-focused drive-thru coffee brands. In fact, 7 Brew was the fastest-growing chain in the entire country in 2024, with year-on-year sales up 163%.
“Having three of these chains on the list makes sense because coffee is where most of the industry’s growth is,” Robert Byrne from Technomic told Kelso. “We know consumers still want to spend their money on foodservice, and this is a treat they’re able to justify.”
Interestingly, the three chains scored highly on customer service, despite all being drive-thru brands. Byrne puts this down to training. “They’re not just handing you a drink out of a drive-thru window; there is a person interacting with guests and servicing them,” he said. “It’s not an elevated experience but it’s personal, and if I’m handed a cup of coffee with a smile and a kind word, I’m going to want to come back.”
Read the full story on the booming coffee brands from Nation’s Restaurant News here.
Photo by Ruben Valenzuela on Unsplash
