---
title: "7 Brew will open its first college location in the fall"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/600c7669-d463-4eea-bf35-9b3ca565851a
source: "Restaurant Dive"
original_url: https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/7-brew-university-of-arkansas-first-campus-store/816223/
category: "Coffee & tea"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Coffee & tea"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2026-04-01T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T14:31:12.950Z
image: https://imgproxy.divecdn.com/5zIiXOo8Qn4kMO0bH15bbvsyaFL_ON9Q9_ElfRdPoSc/g:ce/rs:fit:770:435/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9CUkFOU09OLTEzMS5qcGc=.webp
---

# 7 Brew will open its first college location in the fall

**TL;DR:** 7 Brew is opening its first college location at the University of Arkansas, a non-traditional walk-thru location that will offer more space for guests to have their beverages inside. The chain has grown dramatically in recent years, from 460 stores to over 600 locations, and is exploring alternative growth avenues to its standard drive-thru format.

*originally published in Restaurant Dive on 2026-04-01. [Read the original](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/7-brew-university-of-arkansas-first-campus-store/816223/).*

## Story

The fast growing coffee chain’s non-traditional walk-thru locations at high-traffic retailers and universities could help it strengthen its on-premise experience.

- 7 Brew is opening its first location directly on a college campus at the University of Arkansas, the chain announced Tuesday .

- The brand will break ground on the kiosk over the summer and begin serving students in the fall, per the press release. Unlike its traditional drive-thru locations, this unit will offer more space for guests to have their beverages inside.

- The location will be the third walk-thru stand developed by the chain, which focuses primarily on small drive-thru locations. The chain has a similar walk-thru stand located near but not on The Ohio State University.

These college locations could become an important proving ground if 7 Brew decides to pursue a greater focus on on-premise transactions. The brand’s strengths — rapid franchise development , simple operations and fast drive-thru speed of service — have made it an attractive brand for franchisees, including private equity-backed operators.

Those strengths, and similar operational emphases by competitors including Dutch Bros, have made the coffee segment more competitive. But segment-leader Starbucks, in the midst of a turnaround, is looking to build an experiential moat around its empire by renovating stores and focusing on on-premise, in-person transactions. Competing against Starbucks may require challenger brands to adapt their drive-thru focused stores for a more traditional coffeehouse playbook.

Chris Dawson, 7 Brew’s president, said the University of Arkansas spot would have a focus on experiential elements across occasions, and that it “brings people together on a study break, morning commute or late-night treat to enjoy our beverages and experience the kindness, energy and passion that are central to the 7 Brew brand.”

The brand’s first walk-thru location opened last year in a Walmart . The continued development of locations in high foot traffic areas, like major retailers and universities, gives the chain an alternative growth avenue to its standard drive-thru format.

The brand has grown dramatically in recent years, from 460 stores last summer to more than 600 locations now, according to the press release. 7 Brew has bulked up its C-suite with hires from other major restaurant players. Last June, the chain hired its first supply chain chief from Inspire Brands , signaling it intends to grow a major national system. In December, it hired a former Restaurant Brands International CFO to oversee its financial operations .

## Entities

- unit expansion (topic)
- QSR (sector)
- Starbucks (company)
- Walmart (company)
- Restaurant Dive (publication)
- Inspire Brands (company)
- Dutch Bros (company)
- 7 Brew (company)
- Restaurant Brands International (company)
- Chris Dawson (person)
- non-traditional location (topic)
- coffee segment (topic)

---
Originally reported by Restaurant Dive (https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/7-brew-university-of-arkansas-first-campus-store/816223/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/600c7669-d463-4eea-bf35-9b3ca565851a).