Black Rock Coffee Bar to grow five-fold
/Black Rock Coffee Bar is putting the capital it raised in its IPO last year to work in an aggressive expansion that will take the western coffee chain from 190 locations now open to more than 1,000 units nationwide by 2035.
To do so, the chain has brought on Jon Vingo, a restaurant veteran with Skillets Restaurants, Bloomin' Brands, Inc. and Panera Bread, as the new chief development officer where he’ll oversee real estate and site selection.
Black Rock Coffee Bar currently has locations in only seven states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington. The largest concentration of its restaurants can be found in Arizona (where the company is currently headquartered) and Texas.
The chain plans to open 36 new restaurants in 2026 in existing Southwest and Pacific Northwest markets but has started evaluating new markets with potential new market entries in 2027 and 2028, according to CEO Mark Davis, MBA.
About 55% of Black Rock’s sales come from coffee while energy drinks make up 25%. Food, a growing category, already makes up 13%.
Black Rock is shifting toward more reverse build-to-suit leases in the near-term as it aims for greater speed to market. Prototype locations call for dual-format foundational (drive-thru plus lobbies). Roughly three-quarters of its locations feature indoor seating to foster a community-driven coffeehouse environment.
As Black Rock aggressively scales its growth, the company can adapt its modular drive-thru-only format for specific tight-space real estate markets where indoor lobbies aren't feasible.