STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 25 Malorie Maddox, chief brand and marketing officer at Scooter's, attributes the company's success to its speedy and friendly customer service. Photo credit: Scooter's Dutch Bros was one of the first coffee brands to create and market its own energy drink, attracting Gen Z consumers not interested in coffee. Photo credit: Dutch Bros The Drive-Thru Boom While the up-and-coming drive-thru brands grew through the 2010s, the big players still dominated. Between them, Starbucks, Dunkin', and brands owned by JAB Holdings — including Panera, Peet's, and Caribou — accounted for 78% of US coffee shops in 2019. Many of these chains utilized drive-thrus, but as Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research at foodser- vice industry research firm Technomic, explains, it wasn't neces- sarily their main focus. "There was a pretty singular model for many years leading up to the pandemic," Byrne says, "and drive- thru was a limited point of contact for those brands." After 2020, the number of coffee consumers visiting drive- thrus spiked. According to the National Coffee Association's Fall 2025 National Coffee Data Trends report, 59% of coffee drinkers who bought coffee out-of-home used a drive-thru. This is both a record high and up almost 23% since 2020. "It's not easy to pinpoint exactly what's driving this re- cord-high in drive-thru purchases," says NCA CEO William "Bill" Murray, "though we did see drive-thru and other op- tions like app-based ordering and delivery gain popularity dur- ing the pandemic." Fast-food chains in general saw an increase in drive-thru traf- fic after 2020, as consumers avoided indoor dining and sought the solitude and social distancing their cars offered. However, the trend didn't stop once vaccines became available and people returned to restaurants. A report by Revenue Management Solu- tions found that drive-thru accounted for two-thirds of all fast- food purchases in 2023. The coffee drive-thru brands have grasped the opportunity, something the data clearly shows: Dutch Bros brought in $1.64 billion in revenue in 2025, a 27.9% increase from 2024, while Scooter's reported sales growth of 114.5% between 2021 and 2023. 7 Brew's numbers are even more remarkable: In 2024, the brand's sales grew 163% year over year while it expanded from 14 locations in 2019 to more than 600 at the end of 2025. Speed, Service, and Sweet Treats The most successful drive-thru brands have leant into the cur- rent coffee industry trend for energy drinks, syrupy customiza- tions, and colorful concoctions that pop on social media. This has brought them sales and a huge amount of earned media from customers sharing their creations on TikTok and Instagram. But their success goes beyond good marketing. At Scooter's, chief brand and marketing officer Malorie Maddox says that the company focuses on speed and customer service. "In addition to the friendliness of our baristas and strong customer service, customers are able to scoot in and scoot out with their order quickly and easily," she says. "Drive-thru lends itself to speed of service as our baristas keep cars moving through the line quickly." Speed combined with hyper-friendly customer service is a theme among the drive-thru upstarts. Dutch Bros in particular puts a big emphasis on hiring only the most outgoing and socia- ble baristas (or "bro-istas," as the company calls them). Mean- while, 7 Brew touts its "fast, friendly service" and its mission to "cultivate kindness." Customers have responded. The 2025 edition of Technom- ic's annual America's Favorite Chain report featured three coffee companies in the top 10 for the first time, and all three were drive- thru brands. "Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, and Scooter's are built on this efficient service model," says Byrne. "But the differentiator is the service itself. The smiles that these people give, the boost they give to somebody. It's very real. It's very meaningful." Drive-thru coffee is particularly popular with Gen Z con- sumers, with 54% saying they visit a drive-thru at least once a week. Gen Z is the largest generation in history, accounting for a quarter of the world's population, and its spending power is growing. Some of that spending is on so-called "little treats," small indulgences like a cookie or an elaborate coffee drink, used to celebrate an achievement or cope with a setback. "Each little individual accomplishment, they're going out to buy a treat," Byrne says. "Maybe it's a smoothie, or maybe it's a Rebel energy drink from Dutch Bros. This is the little reward, and these brands are doing a better-than-good job of providing that for consumers."

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