How Black Rock Coffee Bar plans to stand out in crowded beverage category
CEO Mark Davis explains how the brand is differentiated enough to carve its own path in the beverage boom.
July 16, 2026
In case you haven’t heard, drive-thru coffee chains are on an absolute tear.
Dutch Bros crossed 1,000 locations in 2025 and is now a top-50 restaurant chain in the U.S. Scooter’s Coffee opened more than 50 shops last year. And then there’s 7 Brew, which, according to Technomic Ignite data, grew its sales in 2025 by triple-digit percentages.
Triple digits.
Clearly, American consumers are picking up what coffee chains are putting down. But is there enough demand to go around for every emerging coffee concept?
According to Mark Davis, the answer is yes. Davis is CEO of Black Rock Coffee Bar, which has grown to around 200 locations in seven states in its 18 years. Leaders at the chain — which went public last September — believe its model is differentiated enough to help it compete nationally against the likes of Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, and Scooter’s. Black Rock isn’t drive-thru only — it has a lobby in more than half of its locations — but also its investment in engaging and hospitable baristas has generated incredible loyalty to the brand while also keeping turnover extremely low.
Davis joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about what it takes to win in the beverage category today, which menu platforms and dayparts are likely to drive incremental growth in the future, and why going public last year was the right move for Black Rock.
In this conversation, you’ll learn more about why:
Build a performance culture if you want to win with hospitality
Treat your teams like their parents would want you to
Service could be what separates the good from the great in beverage
If you plan to go public, make sure your whole team is aligned on the goals
Build a performance culture if you want to win with hospitality
Treat your teams like their parents would want you to
Service could be what separates the good from the great in beverage
If you plan to go public, make sure your whole team is aligned on the goals
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].
About the Author
Sam Oches
Editor in Chief
Sam Oches is an award-winning Editorial Director with Informa Connect Foodservice and editor in chief of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. A graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Sam previously served as Editorial Director of Food News Media, publisher of QSR and FSR magazines. He’s a past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) and a past board member with the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). His foodservice insights have been shared in national media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, and CNBC. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and three kids.
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
Featured
Jul 8, 2026
Jul 2, 2026
Recent News
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
Source: This story originated with Nation's Restaurant News.
View Original Article →