Passersby have likely noticed a new addition to the parking lot of the Hills Plaza in College Township.
The prefabricated building that will be home to the State College area’s first 7 Brew drive-thru-only coffee shop was trucked in Friday and dropped on to the site at 2121 S. Atherton St. The 540-square-foot structure is located near Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and between Kish and First National banks.
Brew Team Group, the franchisee, is tentatively planning to open the shop in mid-to-late November, director of operations Matt Peters told StateCollege.com on Tuesday.
Peters said State College has an “energetic vibe” that matches well with 7 Brew.
“Our impact is much larger than just the drive-thru,” he said. “We really aim and we hope that our brand, our energy, our name, our impact goes further than just our lot and that we’re able to impact the entire community in a positive and uplifting way, whether it’s with local organizations or beyond. But that we really saw an opportunity to to make a difference in State College.”
Brew Team Group is already eyeing a second State College area location, Peters said, though he could not share further details. The franchisee, which operates five of the seven current 7 Brew locations in Pennsylvania, is in the process of a “rapid expansion,” recently opening a location in DuBois.
“No telling as to when or where specifically at this time, but we are hoping for Johnstown and Altoona to be opening next year,” he said. “And then anything in between and everywhere that we can find an opportunity to open a location, we are fully all over it and taking every opportunity that we can.”
Founded in 2017 in Rogers, Arkansas, 7 Brew has grown to about 460 drive-thru-only locations nationwide. The stands sell no food (except for pre-packaged muffin tops), only beverages, including a wide variety of coffee drinks, along with energy drinks, smoothies, shakes and teas.
The company says it offers more than 20,000 unique drink combinations.
7 Brew will have a dual-lane drive-thru but there is no speaker box for placing orders. Instead staff members come to customers with iPads, and customers then pull forward for employees to bring their drinks to them. A canopy will extend from the building to shield employees, who regularly rotate duties, from the elements, and they are also provided heavy coats and rain gear depending on weather, as well as having outdoor heaters in the winter.
The drive-thru can stack 15 cars, and franchise representative previously told College Township Planning Commission. During peak hours 7 Brew averages 8-10 vehicles, and the time from when an order is placed to delivery is about four minutes.
7 Brew’s State College location will be open 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
First responders receive a 50% discount on orders. The shop will also hold a “Caffeine for a Cause” weekend after opening, during which customers can pay what they want for drinks and all proceeds will be donated to a local nonprofit organization, which Peters said he was not quite yet ready to announce.
The State College area location will have at least 50 and up to 80 or 90 employees, who Peters said are what makes 7 Brew stand out. The majority of comments the company receives are first about the staff, he added.
“Our people are exactly what makes our brand alive,” Peters said. “It’s the DNA of the brand. It sounds silly, but it all starts in the interview room. We see hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of applicants. If you make it to the 7 Brew interview room and then you make it past there onto our team, we see something in you as a person. We’re not hiring you for your skills. We’re hiring you for you as an individual, your personality or your energy, all that stuff. That’s the reason you get hired onto the 7 Brew team. That’s the difference we make in the community that we go into as 7 Brew.
“Our people, our experience is just truly different and engaging and very, very unique.”
The store is now accepting applications at 7brewteam.7brewcareers.com/jobs/.
