Starbucks' national expansion (1990s)
Starbucks grew from a regional Seattle chain to a national brand, expanding from 84 stores in 1990 to more than 3,500 by 2000. It proved premium coffee could be sold at scale across the US.
Starbucks became the dominant player in American coffee retail.
The expansion created a template for coffee chains to scale rapidly nationwide.
Dutch Bros is attempting a similar scale-up a generation later, but with a drive-thru-only model that has different real estate and labor economics.
