A convenience store that has anchored a 1984 shopping center on Keller Parkway is about to become a double drive-thru coffee stand. Keller City Council approved permits during its meeting Tuesday for a new 7 Brew Coffee and a remodel of the 12,000-square-foot retail building at the intersection of Keller Parkway and Pate Orr Road, clearing the way for construction to begin on the aging property.
The approval, granted during the council's Oct. 20 meeting, gives DuWest Realty the green light to move forward on a specific use permit for a double drive-thru coffee shop at 901 Keller Parkway, according to Community Impact. The new 7 Brew will take over the building's end cap, which is currently home to a QuickWay convenience store. To make room for the drive-thru lanes, the developer purchased a portion of land owned by neighboring Andy's Frozen Custard at 951 Keller Parkway.
Getting the site ready won't be instant. Canopy work and gas-tank removal at the old convenience store are scheduled for the first week of November, according to Cole Blocker, DuWest's vice president of retail brokerage. Blocker said the goal is to deliver the site to 7 Brew in spring 2027 so the company can complete its own buildout, with the location expected to open sometime that year.
A Facelift for a Four-Decade-Old Strip Mall
Beyond the coffee shop, the broader remodel targets a shopping center that has stood at the corner since 1984. Plans call for a masonry enclosure around the dumpster area and paving repairs for damaged sections of the lot, with Claymore Engineering Inc. handling the work, according to the same report. Drew Donosky serves as the firm's vice president.
City officials also attached a condition to the project: the city will withhold a certificate of occupancy for any new retail-space business at the site until sod and irrigation improvement plans are approved by both the Texas Department of Transportation and the developer, per Community Impact's account of the council presentation.
Current Tenants Expected to Stay, Two Suites Still Open
Despite the construction, the shopping center's existing lineup isn't going anywhere. Little Caesars, Zar, Keller Florist & Gifts, Keller Donuts and Star Sports Keller are all expected to remain, the outlet reported. Keller Donuts and Little Caesars hold long-term leases, while two suites in the building currently sit vacant.
Blocker told the council the goal is to bring newer, better tenants to the shopping center, and he mentioned that some of the vacant suites could be combined to create larger retail spaces. A new restaurant was floated as one potential tenant during the council presentation. Blocker also framed the stakes for the property's location, saying the shopping center is the front door of Keller High School and deserves better.
Council Members Weigh In
Place 6 council member Charles Randklev said he hopes Star Sports Keller stays in the community as the remodel moves forward. Mayor Ross McMullin said the investment and planned work will re-energize the property, according to the council presentation covered by Community Impact.
7 Brew's Growing North Texas Footprint
The Springdale, Arkansas-based chain already operates 17 locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, making the Keller project one more addition to a rapidly expanding regional presence. 7 Brew functions as a drive-thru beverage chain built around customizable orders, offering coffee, teas, smoothies, energy drinks, shakes and flavored sodas.
The chain's North Texas expansion dates back to 2022, when it opened its first local location in Grand Prairie at SH161 and Arkansas Lane with plans for broader growth throughout the region, according to CultureMap Dallas. At the time, the company had nearly 50 locations spread across 14 states, with almost half of those opening within the previous year, per the Star-Telegram.
7 Brew has since pushed into Fort Worth proper with a location on North Tarrant Parkway near Park Vista Boulevard, building on earlier outposts in Mansfield and Grand Prairie. The Star-Telegram has also noted that Dallas-Fort Worth commuters have watched other drive-thru coffee concepts, including Scooter's Coffee in Watauga and Dutch Bros Coffee on West Berry Street, pop up across the metro in recent years as the drive-thru coffee format has taken hold locally.
