Cravers of coffee in cars might get another drive-thru option in Scranton.
Brew Team Group LLC of Vestal, New York, plans to build a 7 Brew Drive-Thru Coffee franchise at the South Side Shopping Center in the 1000 block of South Washington Avenue, which already has two Dunkin’ coffee shops nearby.
Those Dunkin’s include: a traditional sit-down/drive-thru shop at 1101 S. Washington Ave., which is diagonally across from the site of the proposed 7 Brew, and both of which are on opposite corners of East Elm Street; and a drive-thru-only Dunkin’ at 1120 S. Washington Ave., which opened in June 2022 to alleviate the heavy drive-thru traffic at the other Dunkin’ that used to routinely back up onto South Washington Avenue.
Brew Team Group seeks a variance for a reduction of 50 required off-street parking spaces to construct a drive-thru coffee stand in the parking lot of the South Side Shopping Center, 1008 S. Washington Ave., according to a public notice in The Times-Tribune on Saturday of the Scranton Zoning Board agenda for its meeting on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Some of the details in the application filed with the city include:
•The 7 Brew coffee-stand beverage vendor locations have dual drive-thru lanes, no interior seating and a walk-up window to place and receive occasional walk-up orders.
•In the South Side Shopping Center, 7 Brew proposes to repurpose presently underused parking to facilitate its first Scranton-area location.
•The proposed 7 Brew would be 790 square feet, including a 510-square-foot main building and a detached 280-square-foot cooler/storage building. The franchise operates over 800 locations in states outside of Pennsylvania “and is well versed in traffic management techniques.”
•The proposed 7 Brew will result in some loss of parking at the South Side Shopping Center but the remaining supply would still be adequate for the center and the 7 Brew drive-thru. The added parking demand associated with the proposed 7 Brew will be negligible because most of the shop’s activity will occur in the dual drive-thru lanes and no interior seating will be offered.
The parking lot of the South Side Shopping Center in Scranton on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, where a 7 Brew Drive-Thru Coffee shop is proposed by Brew Team Group LLC. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The parking lot of the South Side Shopping Center in Scranton on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, where a 7 Brew Drive-Thru Coffee shop is proposed by Brew Team Group LLC, to go diagonally across South Washington Avenue from a Dunkin’. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Dunkin’ drive-thru-only coffee shop on South Washington Avenue in South Scranton on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Dunkin’ drive-thru-only coffee shop on South Washington Avenue in South Scranton on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A rendering in an application filed with the Scranton Zoning Board by Brew Team Group LLC regarding a proposed 7 Brew Drive-Thru coffee stand in the parking lot of the South Side Shopping Center in the 1000 block of South Washington Avenue. (IMAGE COPIED/ SCRANTON ZONING APPLICATION)
A rendering in an application filed with the Scranton Zoning Board by Brew Team Group LLC regarding a proposed 7 Brew Drive-Thru coffee stand in the parking lot of the South Side Shopping Center in the 1000 block of South Washington Avenue. (IMAGE COPIED/ SCRANTON ZONING APPLICATION)
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The parking lot of the South Side Shopping Center in Scranton on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, where a 7 Brew Drive-Thru Coffee shop is proposed by Brew Team Group LLC. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
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Other 7 Brew sites percolating
The South Scranton proposal is the third 7 Brew proposed in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties in the past month by the growing national drive-thru coffee and beverage franchise.
Wilkes-Barre Twp.: On Sept. 14, Brew Team Group went before the Wilkes-Barre Twp. Planning Commission regarding razing the Sonic drive-in restaurant at 755 Kidder St. near the Wyoming Valley Mall and replacing it with a 7 Brew Drive-Thru Coffee shop constructed there. This plan calls for demolishing the existing Sonic and canopies over the ordering kiosks in the parking areas and constructing an 858-square-foot 7 Brew building with three drive-thru lanes.
Sonic near the Wyoming Valley Mall closed in April of 2018. (CITIZENS’ VOICE / FILE PHOTO
South Abington Twp.: This week, on Wednesday, Brew Team Group is scheduled to go before the South Abington Zoning Board for a lighting variance regarding construction of a 7 Brew Drive-Thru Coffee shop at 1028 Northern Blvd., where a Burger King closed Sept. 19. This plan calls for demolishing the former Burger King and constructing a 510-square-foot building there, with two drive-thru lanes covered by canopies, a detached cooler and accessory trash enclosure. The developer seeks a variance for lighting that is brighter than allowed under the township zoning ordinance.
The former Burger King location at 1028 Northern Boulevard in South Abington Twp. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (JEFF HORVATH/STAFF PHOTO)
The former Burger King location at 1028 Northern Boulevard in South Abington Twp. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (JEFF HORVATH/STAFF PHOTO)
The former Burger King location at 1028 Northern Boulevard in South Abington Twp. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (JEFF HORVATH/STAFF PHOTO)
The former Burger King location at 1028 Northern Boulevard in South Abington Twp. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (JEFF HORVATH/STAFF PHOTO)
The Burger King location in South Abington Twp. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. The last day of operation will be Saturday. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
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The former Burger King location at 1028 Northern Boulevard in South Abington Twp. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (JEFF HORVATH/STAFF PHOTO)