Dutch Bros Coffee's drive-thru growth (1992–present)
Dutch Bros launched a single drive-thru espresso stand in Grants Pass, Oregon, in 1992. It grew to more than 800 small-format, drive-thru-only locations across the U.S., proving the model could scale without a single sit-down cafe.
The chain expanded steadily through the 2000s and 2010s, then went public in 2021.
It established drive-thru-only coffee as a mainstream, investor-backed business model.
7 Brew and Scooter's follow the same playbook in Louisville, putting direct competitive pressure on Heine Brothers' cafe-centered model.
