With stores in Newport and Florence on their way, 7 Brew Coffee is aggressively entering the Northern Kentucky market and plans to open a third store.
7 Brew Coffee, an Arkansas-based drive-thru coffee chain, has opened over 300 stores nationwide since its founding in 2017. What makes it different from other coffee franchises is that its drive-thru only making similar to other chains such as Dutch Bros.
Some of its most popular offerings include customizable coffee drinks, energy drinks, teas, smoothies and other beverages, as well as ‘secret’ menu items that have helped the brand gain attention on social media.
Now, Lexington-based coffee franchisee Brew Team KY LLC is seeking to change the concept development plan of a half-acre lot located at 7303 Turfway Road in Florence. Currently, Brew Team KY operates seven Brew stores in Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green, Versailles and Jeffersonville, Indiana.
On Feb. 5, the Boone County Planning Commission hosted a hearing to solicit feedback from the public. If passed, the store would be the second 7 Brew Coffee in Florence and the third in Northern Kentucky.
“We’re obviously not scared of competition,” 7 Brew Coffee representative Brian Evans told the planning commission. “We think we’ve got the best brand out there in the coffee business. We do differentiate ourselves a little bit. We don’t serve food, which most of our competitors do, so it allows us to focus on the beverage side and process orders quickly.”
Brew Team KY’s submitted concept development plan shows the franchisee plans to construct a 543-square-foot drive-thru coffee shop with a 280-square-foot remote storage/cooler accessory storage. The site will feature two 13-foot-wide drive-thru lanes, each able to accommodate up to nine people and 12 parking spaces.
“Previously, it was occupied by a Krispy Kreme donuts, which was demolished at some point between 2016 and 2020,” Boone County Planner Lauren Elliott said. “The site is currently zoned C3, commercial services.”
The site has two access points through shared driveways, which provide access to the KY-18 and the neighboring Remke’s grocery store and Frisch’s.
According to documents provided by the planning commission, the commission approved a concept development plan to allow for a Taco John’s in 2023, but that never materialized.
In January, the planning commission approved a zone change request for a different 7 Brew Coffee at 8109-8113 US 42 in Florence. Moreover, 7 Brew Coffee is also opening a store in Newport, off Carothers Road, next to PNC Bank and the Newport Plaza II.
The Newport store is currently under construction. 7 Brew Coffee stores come prefabricated and are installed using a crane.
“From groundbreaking to grand opening, it’s about eight to 10 weeks of construction,” Evans said. “The other site (in Florence) is moving a little bit quicker. It’s about a month ahead.”
Brew Team KY’s concept development change request has now moved on to the planning commission’s zone change committee. The meeting is scheduled for Feb. 19 at 5 p.m.
