A drive-thru coffee chain is moving into the building at 11560 W. 63rd St. in Shawnee that spent more than 40 years serving up fried chicken. 7 Brew is converting the former Kentucky Fried Chicken location into its newest Kansas City-area stand, with an opening date reportedly set for Sept. 28.
The chicken chain served its final meal at that address a few weeks before June 22, then closed its doors after four decades in the building, according to the Kansas City Star. Now 7 Brew is stepping in, part of a broader push into the metro that has already put its stands across the region. The Star's count of 7 Brew's local footprint varies by report: one account puts the chain at 10 locations in the Kansas City metro, including four in Johnson County, while a separate Kansas City Star report describes the Shawnee stand as the company's ninth metro location.
A Familiar Neighbor Down the Road
The new Shawnee stand will open near an existing Dutch Bros location at 11335 Shawnee Mission Parkway, putting two of the country's fast-growing drive-thru coffee brands within close reach of each other. The station's report also notes that 7 Brew has its sights set on Lee's Summit, where the chain is planning another location at 498 Missouri Route 291.
7 Brew's rapid spread hasn't been limited to the Kansas City area. The company got its start in 2017 and, per the same account, now has more than 700 locations spread across 38 states — though the more recent report puts that figure at more than 800 locations across the same 38 states. Either way, the growth has been fast: 7 Brew began franchising in 2021, a move that has fueled its expansion into new markets nationwide.
What's on the Menu
Customers pulling up to the new Shawnee window will find a menu built around customization. The chain's offerings span coffee, 7 Energy drinks, 7 Fizz sodas, teas, lemonades, smoothies and shakes, with thousands of possible drink combinations depending on how a customer mixes caffeine shots, flavor, sweetness, milk or milk alternative, toppings and drizzle.
The chain's flavored lattes include options like banana bread, blondie, cinnamon roll and cookie butter, alongside its lineup of energy drinks, sodas and lemonades. For fall, signature drinks include a pumpkin blondie breve, a caramel apple pie macchiato, an apple butter chai latte, a drizzled apple 7 Energy frozen chiller and a pumpkin roll shake.
7 Brew did not respond to a request for comment from the Star before publication, and no permit records, construction timeline, hours or hiring details for the Shawnee stand have been made public. For now, Shawnee residents driving past the old KFC building will have to wait to see whether the coffee stand opens as planned.
