Tacala Companies Expands Into 7 Brew Coffee With Nine Tennessee Cafes

The largest Taco Bell franchisee in the United States has been quietly building a second empire in drive-thru coffee. Tacala Companies, the Birmingham-based operator of 379 Taco Bells across seven southern states, acquired nine 7 Brew drive-thru cafes from Brew Team TN in Tennessee, bringing its total 7 Brew portfolio to 31 locations.

The Tennessee deal, reported in September 2025, is part of a broader push that CEO and CFO Joey Pierson has been orchestrating since Tacala entered the 7 Brew system. Pierson said Tacala has built 22 locations since joining in 2023, and he has set a target of 200 total 7 Brew units by 2030. He estimates that roughly half of Tacala's expansion has come from new builds and half from strategic acquisitions like the Brew Team TN deal.

Pierson's interest in the Arkansas-based brand reads as genuine rather than opportunistic. "When I visited their corporate headquarters in Arkansas, I couldn't fully capture its energy or culture in words," he said. "The customer engagement is incredible. Team members use tablets to take orders outside and build real connections. Pair that with an innovative caffeine and energy drink menu, and it's clear why the brand is scaling so quickly."

The brand has given Tacala plenty to work with. 7 Brew grew from 38 stores in 2022 to more than 320 by the end of 2024, a roughly 2,000 percent increase, and now counts more than 500 locations systemwide.

Tacala itself is no small operation. Ranked No. 10 on the Franchise Times Restaurant 200 by annual revenue, the company employs around 11,000 people with a support staff of about 150, according to Pierson. The company is closing in on $900 million in annual sales across its Taco Bell and 7 Brew businesses, and is anticipating opening another four or five Taco Bell locations this year on top of its coffee expansion.

Altamont Capital Partners, which acquired Tacala in 2012, has provided the capital structure that made the dual-brand strategy possible. Pierson, who became Tacala's CFO in 2001 after meeting founders Dick Reese and Don Ghareeb, has led the company as sole CEO since co-CEO Tim Morrison retired in 2022. He has spent 22 years steering Tacala's growth to its current standing as the No. 1 franchisee in Taco Bell's system.

Despite the aggressive 7 Brew buildout, Pierson has kept the strategic aperture deliberately narrow. "We're going to focus equally on managing our Taco Bell and 7 Brew businesses for now," he said, adding that Tacala is not considering investing in other concepts. With 200 7 Brew units as the stated destination and roughly 170 locations still to go, that focus will be tested over the next four years.