Demolition crews are tearing down a former KFC on South Main Street in Salinas to make room for 7 Brew, the Arkansas-based coffee chain that has exploded to more than 700 locations nationwide but still has zero open stores anywhere in California. Permits for the project have already been approved, though the company has not announced when the drive-thru will open.
The Salinas project, covered by KSBW, is one of several 7 Brew sites proposed or approved across California this year, with other projects concentrated in Northern California. The chain's own store locator still shows no operating locations in the state, underscoring just how early this expansion push remains. Founded with a trailer and espresso machine in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 2017, 7 Brew grew from just 14 stands in early 2022 to more than 700 across 38 states by mid-2026, according to QSR Magazine, which notes the chain added 281 new locations in 2025 alone.
A Private Equity-Backed Blitz Lands in California
Blackstone Inc., the global asset manager, invested in 7 Brew in 2024. At the time of that investment, the chain had roughly 190 stands, a fraction of its current footprint. On the ground in California, the expansion is being spearheaded by Flynn Group, the San Francisco-based company that is the world's largest restaurant franchisee, operating thousands of locations for brands like Applebee's and Taco Bell. Flynn partnered with 7 Brew in late 2025 to develop roughly 160 locations nationwide under a new division called Flynn Growth, the report notes. A Roseville drive-thru is also proposed, with Flynn Group identified as operator in Feb. 23 filings.
In Salinas, the project is taking shape at the old KFC site on South Main Street, where demolition work is now underway. The South Main Street KFC has closed.
Concord's Former KFC Gets the Same Treatment
A similar transformation is playing out roughly 100 miles north in Concord, where 7 Brew submitted plans in May to convert a former KFC and A&W site on Clayton Road into a 3,664-square-foot drive-thru-only hub. Per CLAYCORD.com's reporting, the existing dining space there will be repurposed for employee training and storage rather than reopened for customer seating, a sign that 7 Brew has little interest in the dine-in model its predecessors relied on.
That drive-thru-only approach is central to 7 Brew's financial edge. The chain's compact stands generated an average annual sales volume of approximately $2.65 million in 2025, outpacing average unit sales at Dutch Bros ($2.16 million) and Starbucks ($1.9 million), even though the modular stands themselves are roughly 510 square feet.
What a New Stand Means for Local Jobs and Traffic
Nationwide, 7 Brew employs more than 25,000 people. A proposed 911-square-foot 7 Brew stand is also included in Roseville plans submitted in Feb. 23 filings.
For customers who eventually pull up to the Salinas window, the draw is a menu built around customization. 7 Brew markets more than 20,000 drink combinations, with beverages including energy drinks, teas, and smoothies. The Salinas opening joins a wave of similar conversions happening elsewhere, including a former Wendy's in Cedar Park reported by Hoodline's Cedar Park coverage and a former B-Bop's site in Ames. For now, Salinas residents watching the demolition on South Main Street are left waiting, since neither the city's permit approval nor 7 Brew itself has set a date for when the drive-thru will actually open.
