Fox Valley 7 Brew fans may soon be making a much shorter drive to the popular drive-thru spot.
The city of St. Charles is currently weighing a request from the popular coffee chain to put in a location near Lincoln Highway and Randall Road in the southwestern portion of the city.
Founded in 2017, 7 Brew boasts a menu offering more than 20,000 drink combinations, according to its website. It currently has more than 20 locations across Illinois — the nearest ones to St. Charles are in Huntley, Naperville and Algonquin.
The Naperville location broke records when it opened in 2024. Drawing customers from across the Chicago area, the location’s popularity has since caused lines to back up onto Iroquois and wrap around towards Naperville-Wheaton Road, generating efforts from the city of Naperville and 7 Brew to quell the traffic, according to reports.
Now, 7 Brew is looking to expand into St. Charles.
At its March 16 Committee of the Whole meeting, the St. Charles City Council considered a request for the city to approve preliminary plans for the new location submitted by Who Brew IL III, LLC, a franchisee of 7 Brew.
According to documents from the city, the proposal is for a single-story, 1,177-square-foot building with a drive-thru running counterclockwise around the rear of the building. The location would be drive-thru and walk-up service only, with no inside seating.
The property is located in the Prairie Centre planned unit development, or PUD, city documents indicate, and is owned by Towne Centre Equities, LLC, which is managed by Shodeen President David Patzelt. According to the city, Who Brew is currently under contract to purchase the property.
Patzelt, in an email to The Beacon-News, said Shodeen is “excited” to welcome the proposed 7 Brew location to the Prairie Centre development.
“The unique experience … will certainly be a highly sought-after destination that residents and visitors of Kane County will enjoy,” Patzelt said.
At the March 16 meeting, Ald. Jayme Muenz expressed an interest in ensuring the crossing between the parking area and walk-up lane is safe, given that there are plans for two drive-thru lanes also in the space.
“They’re going to be crazy for this coffee, so I want to make sure that we’re not creating a hazard,” Muenz said.
The city also briefly discussed plans for how traffic will be funneled to ensure there aren’t backups at Route 38 and Randall.
However, the matter was ultimately recommended for approval at the meeting, though it still needs to secure final approval from the City Council at an upcoming meeting.
In response to a request for comment, Sarah Pomella, Who Brew’s chief of staff, wrote that the company is “excited for the possibility of being a part of the St. Charles community.”
The council, too, expressed enthusiasm about the proposed project.
Ald. Steve Weber, whose ward includes the proposed project area, said it is “going to be awesome” that projects are coming together in this area of the city.
“On behalf of the teenage population in St. Charles, who normally have to drive to Huntley for this,” Ald. Mark Foulkes added, “this is a wonderful addition.”
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
