Drive-thru coffee chain eyes new franchise at long-vacant State College property
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- 7 Brew submitted a preliminary land development plan for 1272 N. Atherton St.
- Plans are said to call for a roughly 510-square-foot prefabricated drive-thru building.
- The new franchise would be the third 7 Brew location planned for State College.
A fast-expanding drive-thru coffee shop chain has its sights set on another State College location.
7 Brew has submitted a preliminary land development plan for a new franchise at 1272 N. Atherton St. in Ferguson Township, a vacant property that housed Mario’s Italian Restaurant until it closed in 2017. Miles Zakos, Ferguson Township’s community planner, said the existing building at that site would be razed ahead of construction.
Although the preliminary plans have not been shared publicly, Zakos indicated they call for a roughly 510-square-foot, prefabricated building with a drive-thru that follows 7 Brew’s typical mold. The chain’s locations usually feature a dual-lane drive-thru with a canopy, where employees take and fulfill orders.
Preliminary plans for the 7 Brew along North Atherton Street are under review by township staff, Zakos said. They could appear on the Ferguson Township Planning Commission agenda as soon as late July or early August.
The new franchise would mark the third 7 Brew location planned for State College. The company entered the local market in December with a drive-thru in the Hills Plaza shopping center on South Atherton Street, while another is in early planning stages outside the Nittany Mall.
The Arkansas-headquartered company’s footprint in Pennsylvania has nearly doubled since 2025 with at least 15 locations operating in the Keystone State. 7 Brew oversees more than 700 franchises across the U.S.
The drive-thru coffee company has long viewed State College as prime expansion target for Pennsylvania. Matt Peters, 7 Brew’s director of operations for Pennsylvania and northern Delaware locations, said more Centre Region sites would likely be in the works if the company’s first drive-thru hit the ground running.
“It’s a great market, and that’s undeniable. It’s a market we’ve been trying to get to,” Peters said last September. “We thought State College would be a good fit for the overall economics but also a positive light and business in the community to continue spreading joy and happiness and a different drive-thru experience no one else has seen.”
7 Brew is known for its drink-only menu and drive-thru ordering system that prioritizes quick and friendly service, the company says. New franchises are constructed using prefabricated buildings that aid quick expansion.
The company’s menus are said to offer more than 20,000 unique drink combinations with coffees, energy drinks, smoothies, shakes, hot chocolates and teas.
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