7 Brew tops Yelp's fastest-growing brands as drive-through coffee surges

7 Brew vaulted to No. 1 on Yelp’s 2026 Fastest Growing Brands list, posting 244 percent growth in consumer interest and climbing from No. 23 a year earlier. Black Rock Coffee Bar landed at No. 8, Scooter’s Coffee at No. 13 and Dutch Bros at No. 38, putting four coffee brands in the top 50 for another year.

Yelp’s ranking combines net new business openings, consumer interest and Yelp searches in 2025 compared with 2024. Drive-thru beverages led growth in consumer interest among brands on the site. Sarah Chang, Yelp’s vice president and head of enterprise, said value now comes from what a brand gives back in time and control. Drive-thru coffee offers fast handoff, no interior seating and drinks built around sweetness, dairy and flavor customization.

7 Brew reached its 777th drive-thru stand in June 2026, had roughly 177 openings so far this year and more than 250 stores in its pipeline, after ending 2025 with more than 600 locations and starting 2022 with 40 units. Dutch Bros had 1,177 locations across 25 states as of March 31 and expects to open at least 185 units in 2026. Black Rock Coffee Bar, which raised $294 million in its September 2025 IPO and trades on Nasdaq under BRCB, had 158 locations across seven states as of June 30, 2025 and has said 72 percent of store revenue comes from drive-thru transactions; its long-term target is 1,000 stores by 2035.

Scooter’s Coffee’s 2026 ranking marked a third straight year on Yelp’s list, and on April 21 it announced a 31-store development agreement with Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the nation’s largest Hardee’s franchise operator, for North Carolina and Virginia.