A drive-thru-only coffee shop chain’s first State College area location will soon begin welcoming customers.
7 Brew will hold a ribbon cutting for its store at 1923 S. Atherton St. in College Township at 10 a.m. on Dec. 2. The 540-square-foot prefabricated building is located near Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and between Kish and First National banks and was dropped on site in September.
Founded in 2017 in Rogers, Arkansas, 7 Brew has grown to more than 500 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.
It 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.
The company’s stores partner with local nonprofit beneficiaries in the communities where they open, and the Dec. 2 ribbon cutting will include a check presentation to Penn State’s THON, the student-run philanthropy supporting pediatric cancer patients and research.
First responders receive a 50% discount on orders.
“Our impact is much larger than just the drive-thru,” Matt Peters, director of operations for franchisee Brew Team Group, told StateCollege.com in September. “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.”
The store will also hold a “Swag Day” on Dec. 6, when customers who purchase a large drink will receive a free 7 Brew T-shirt.
Peters said 7 Brew will also host a “Caffeine for a Cause” weekend on dates to be determined, during which customers can pay what they want for drinks and all proceeds will be donated to a local nonprofit organization.
The 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… Our people, our experience is just truly different and engaging and very, very unique.”
While the Hills Plaza will be 7 Brew’s first Centre County location, Peters said Brew Team Group is already eyeing a second. 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.
