A drive-thru coffee shop chain is eyeing space on the Nittany Mall property for its second State College area location.
7 Brew intends to open a store in what is currently a parking lot adjacent to the McDonald’s property and across the private drive from the Happy Valley Casino, according to a sketch plan submitted to College Township.
The company, which has more than 700 stores nationwide, opened its first Centre County location in December in the Hills Plaza on South Atherton Street in College Township
Brew Team Group, a Pennsylvania-based franchisee that also owns the Hills Plaza location, has negotiated a letter of intent with Namdar Realty Group for the space at the western end of the mall property and is currently finalizing the lease, Brian Evans, 7 Brew director of entitlements, wrote in a letter included in the agenda for Thursday’s township council meeting.
7 Brew offers made-to-order beverages — including coffee, tea, Italian sodas, smoothies, shakes, energy drinks and hot chocolate — and no food. Its business is almost entirely drive-thru, with a walk-up window that accounts for less than 1% of sales and is typically used by first responders, who receive 50% discount, Evans wrote.
Plans for the new location include 7 Brew’s standard 510-square-foot, prefabricated building. It would have dual drive-thru ordering lanes designed to accommodate 38 vehicles in the queues.
Baristas greet customers with an iPad for orders under a canopy and drinks are delivered directly to the vehicles. Like other 7 Brew locations, the store would have no interior or exterior seating.
The plan also includes 15 dedicated employee spaces.
Access is planned from the private drive that serves McDonald’s
Each 7 Brew location typically employs 40 to 50 staff members
Brew Team Group, which has been in the process of rapid expansion in Pennsylvania, was drawn to the State College market because of an “energetic vibe” that matches well with 7 Brew, Matt Peters, director of operations told StateCollege.com last fall.
He said at the time that the company was already eyeing another location in the Centre Region.
“Our impact is much larger than just the drive-thru,” Peters 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.”
College Township Council is scheduled to review the sketch plan during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
A sketch plan is not a formal proposal and is intended to garner feedback prior to the submission of a land development plan.
