A fast-growing drive-thru coffee chain wants to plant its flag in Marlborough. 7 Brew Coffee has submitted an application to operate a location at 2 Mount Royal Avenue, and the proposal is now working its way through the city's review process. The Marlborough City Council voted on September 14 to send the application to the Urban Affairs Committee, which is scheduled to take it up at its next meeting on September 29 at 7:30 p.m.
The applicant of record is Boston Brewins LLC, according to sevenbrewmenucoffee.com, which also reports that no confirmed opening date has been announced yet since the project remains under review. At the public hearing, Boston Brewins LLC was represented by Attorney Christopher Flood and an engineer from Stonefield Engineering, according to a Marlborough City Council agenda. A separate public hearing notice from the city identifies Boston Brewins LLC as the applicant and 2 Mount Royal Avenue as the locus, with the matter designated a special permit hearing.
What the Marlborough Drive-Thru Would Look Like
The proposed Marlborough location would include both a drive-thru and a dedicated walk-up order window for pedestrians, along with outdoor seating, per the same sevenbrewmenucoffee.com report. Employees would be stationed outside with tablets to take customer orders in person as vehicles move through the lane, the site notes. As reported by What Now Boston, the plans call for two drive-thru lanes — one accommodating up to 10 vehicles and another up to 12.
Proposed hours would run 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday, according to sevenbrewmenucoffee.com. The Community Advocate reports that the drive-thru cafe offers 20,000 drink combinations, and if the plans get approval, this would be the second 7 Brew location in Massachusetts, with the other located in West Springfield.
A Second Massachusetts Project Already Underway in Weymouth
Boston Brewins LLC isn't stopping at Marlborough. The franchisee is also developing a 7 Brew location at 211 Main Street in Weymouth, according to What Now Boston, which reports that the Weymouth shop is likely to open in 2027. The proposed Weymouth site sits on a roughly 90,000-square-foot lot that will take over a vacant Honda dealership at the corner of Front, Main and Winter streets, per Boston.com, which notes the project was approved by both the Weymouth Board of Zoning Appeals and the Conservation Commission in January.
Boston Brewins has already signed a lease for the Weymouth spot, the company said in a post on its LinkedIn page, adding that a hiring event is set for Wednesday, October 21, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tufts Library. The company said it is looking to make offers to qualified candidates on the spot. 7 Brew has an existing Massachusetts location in Springfield.
A Chain Built for Speed, With Big Growth Ambitions
7 Brew has more than 600 locations. The company's drive-thru-only model aims to serve customized and handcrafted drinks with speed and efficiency, the outlet notes.
The menu offers more than 20,000 customizable combinations across several drink categories.
For now, the Marlborough proposal remains before the Urban Affairs Committee, with no opening timeline announced as the review continues.
