TL;DR
Nation's Restaurant News highlights 12 emerging coffee chains that are poised to challenge major brands like 7 Brew and Dutch Bros. These chains have unique stories and impressive growth numbers, with a focus on authentic storytelling and quality brewing.
- Emerging Chains NRN Showdown\ \ Readers choose emerging restaurant brands that have the best potential for success Meet 12 rising coffee chains poised to challenge the giants From Yemeni coffeehouses to student-run cafes, these emerging brands are brewing up serious competition. []( Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Managing Editor July 13, 2026 LinkedinFacebookTwitterRedditEmail While major drive-thru coffee chains like 7 Brew (which was the fastest-growing restaurant last year) and Dutch Bros (which recently passed the 1,000-unit mark) dominate headlines with rapid growth, a new generation of coffee brands is quietly building momentum across the country. These 12 up-and-coming chains represent the diverse future of coffee culture, with unique stories and impressive growth numbers, including both sales and unit count. In this pack is a Yemeni coffeehouse that saw 56.5% sales growth last year, a 30-year-old Milwaukee-based chain, a human-rights-focused brand, and so much more. What these chains have in common is a belief that authentic storytelling and quality brewing can compete with the giants. Whether it’s with Puerto Rican farm origins or a student-run campus model, these chains are redefining what coffee culture can mean to local communities nationwide. Watch the video to learn more, then head to NRN’s Instagram and LinkedIn accounts to vote for which one you think has potential to be the next Starbucks. Related: Landry’s Seafood House crowned winner of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Seafood Showdown LinkedinFacebookTwitterRedditEmail About the Author []( Leigh Anne Zinsmeister Managing Editor Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservice Media, with brands including Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, and Foodservice Director. Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Technomic Top 500 report. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team. Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history. Email Leigh Anne at leighanne.zinsmeister@informa.com Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience: - Group Managing Editor, Foodservice Media (June 2026-present) - Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-June 2026) - Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021) - Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020) - Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018) - Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016) - Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014) See more from Leigh Anne Zinsmeister Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more. Sign Up Now You May Also Like Emerging Chains\ \ Landry’s Seafood House crowned winner of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Seafood Showdown \ \ by NRN staff\ \ Feb 17, 2026 Emerging Chains\ \ Salt & Straw opens Vegas Strip locations \ \ Jan 05, 2026 Emerging Chains\ \ NRN’s 3rd Investment Summit lets restaurant leaders pitch directly to investors \ \ by NRN staff\ \ Jul 17, 2025 Emerging Chains\ \ Naya offers fast-casual Lebanese food to a growing market \ \ by Bret Thorn\ \ Jul 16, 2025 Top 500 Restaurants []( Content Spotlight The Technomic Top 500: Another tough year for chain restaurants Top 500 chain restaurant sales slowed again in 2025 as consumers cut back on dining, but sectors like coffee, beverages and snacks and chicken thrived Read More Featured []( to all podcast Expert Opinions National Restaurant Association economist offers mid-year take on consumer trends, labor problems National Restaurant Association economist offers mid-year take on consumer trends, labor problems Jul 8, 2026 []( to all podcast Fast Casual How Dog Haus’s new area director program could fast track growth, according to CEO How Dog Haus’s new area director program could fast track growth, according to CEO Jul 2, 2026 []( to all podcast Casual Dining Piada Italian Street Food readies for national growth; CEO explains why now is the time Piada Italian Street Food readies for national growth; CEO explains why now is the time Jun 25, 2026 []( to all podcast Fast Casual After a decade cracking the code on affordable healthy food, Everytable looks to grow After a decade cracking the code on affordable healthy food, Everytable looks to grow Jun 17, 2026 Recent News See all []( Dining Applebee’s remixes the burger again with Bacon Cheeseburger Wonton Tacos Applebee’s remixes the burger again with Bacon Cheeseburger Wonton Tacos by Joe Guszkowski Jul 13, 2026 2 Min Read []( Dining Olive Garden is bringing back the Never-Ending Pasta Pass Olive Garden is bringing back the Never-Ending Pasta Pass by Joe Guszkowski Jul 13, 2026 2 Min Read []( Service Papa Johns brings back its Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza Papa Johns brings back its Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza by Alicia Kelso Jul 13, 2026 2 Min Read []( Casual Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club will no longer be unlimited Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club will no longer be unlimited by Lisa Jennings Jul 13, 2026 2 Min Read Casual Dining []( Link to all video Content Spotlight Get to know Rick Cardenas, the Darden CEO who started there as a busser The executive shares his advice, along with his most-binged TV show, favorite sports team, and most-used app Watch Now
In this story
This story was originally published by Leigh Anne Zinsmeister in Nation's Restaurant News on July 13, 2026. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
Read the full story at Nation's Restaurant NewsThe Burnaze newsletter
Liked this? Get the week's franchise news, explained
- Sunday 8 AM ET weekly + a monthly deep dive
- Sections picked for the industries you follow
- Every claim linked to its source. Free.