7 Brew is planning a second Ames drive-thru stand at 1112 S. Duff Ave., the site of a former B-Bop's restaurant, giving the fast-growing coffee chain a foothold on both sides of the city. The company has not announced an exact opening date but is targeting the end of 2026, adding another quick-service option to one of Ames' busiest commercial corridors.
The new location, reported by the Iowa State Daily, will take over the former B-Bop's building on South Duff Avenue, joining 7 Brew's existing Ames stand at 3615 Lincoln Way, which opened in June 2025. Together, the two locations will give Ames drive-thru coffee customers options on both the east and west sides of the city, according to the Iowa State Daily's reporting. The B-Bop's that previously occupied the Duff Avenue site closed permanently around July, according to B-Bop's own site listings, leaving the Iowa-founded chain with a single remaining Ames location at 2415 Grand Ave.
Why South Duff Avenue Makes Sense
The South Duff Avenue site would add another drive-thru option in Ames. Across other Midwestern markets, drive-thru beverage chains have expanded rapidly using prefabricated modular stands under 700 square feet to speed up municipal approvals and construction, as Hoodline has reported.
7 Brew expects the new Ames stand to create about 75 jobs, per the Iowa State Daily's report, with interested applicants able to apply through the chain's careers website. That staffing level tracks with how 7 Brew's double-drive-thru locations typically operate nationwide — franchisee Brew Crew's recruitment disclosures indicate such stands average 60 to 75 crew members to keep multiple order lanes moving quickly.
A Chain Built for Speed, Not Seating
7 Brew is a drive-thru-only beverage chain offering coffee, energy drinks, smoothies, teas and customizable drink combinations, with more than 20,000 possible combinations on the menu, according to the Iowa State Daily. One signature option, the Blonde, mixes caramel and vanilla, and customers can further customize any drink with added flavors. The model trades indoor seating for throughput — a typical 500-to-510-square-foot 7 Brew stand generates between $2 million and $2.6 million in annual sales, according to reporting by Men's Journal.
That compact, high-volume approach has fueled explosive national growth. 7 Brew expanded to 817 locations across 38 states as of a July 2026 industry tracking report from ScrapeHero, after launching from a single Rogers, Arkansas stand back in 2017. A 2024 growth equity investment from Blackstone Inc. helped accelerate that expansion from roughly 190 locations, Hoodline has reported. Systemwide, the chain now serves more than a million drinks a day, with energy drinks, sodas and teas helping drive afternoon sales beyond the morning coffee rush.
Ames' Coffee Scene Stays Mixed
Even as drive-thru chains multiply along the city's commercial corridors, Ames still maintains an active independent coffee scene anchored by sit-down cafes like Morning Bell Coffee Roasters downtown and Cafe Milo in West Ames, according to local market data from My Coffee Explorer. Those shops cater largely to students and residents looking for study space and a place to gather, a different customer base than the commuters 7 Brew's drive-thru model is built to serve.
No firm opening date has been set for the South Duff Avenue stand. The former B-Bop's building has been demolished. For now, the company's timeline points to a debut sometime before the end of 2026.
