Rice University area: Dutch Bros Coffee Opens

In Houston, Dutch Bros Coffee, the fast-growing drive-thru coffee chain with scores of locations across Houston’s suburbs, has opened its first Inner Loop shop.

The store, at 2301 University Blvd. at Greenbriar across from Rice University, takes over a shuttered Salad and Go building. The Salad and Go drive-thru salad chain recently exited the Houston market, closing its last remaining area stores in September to focus on Dallas and select other markets outside Texas.

Dutch Bros, which prides itself on fast service, customizable hot and cold drinks, and fun culture, has grown to nearly 40 locations in the Houston region since entering the local market in 2021. The company has more than doubled its store count since going public in 2021 to over 1,040 stores across 19 states, as stated by company reports.

New locations coming soon to Baytown & Kingwood

The University Boulevard coffee stand, located between the Texas Medical Center and The Village, is among more than 160 stores planned to open in 2025. A new location is coming soon to Baytown at 7100 Garth Road, as stated by Dutch Bros. And next year, a location is planned at 1261 Kingwood Drive in Kingwood, as stated by a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing.

Customers can order at a walk-up window or in the drive-thru lanes, which are staffed by employees who help move the line along by taking orders and payments outside.

The Dutch Bros expansion comes as another publicly traded coffee shop is making cuts. In late September, Starbucks reported the closure of hundreds of stores, including about 10 in the Houston area.

Now headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., Dutch Bros was founded in 1992 in Grants Pass, Ore. by brothers Dane and Travis Boersm. The menu includes coffee, lattes, Rebel energy drinks, Blended Freeze drinks, flavored iced and hot teas, chai, matcha, Dutch cocoa, lemonade, boba, sodas, smoothies, shakes, and more.