A long-vacant corner of Mannheim Road is trading quiet windows for caffeine runs. Dutch Bros Coffee, the Oregon-founded drive-thru chain, is set to open its first drive-thru in the Chicago suburbs at 1931 North Mannheim Road in Melrose Park, bringing its West Coast-style service closer to city commuters and suburban pickup traffic. The company says the Melrose Park location is on track to open in early 2026.
As reported by NBC Chicago, the Melrose Park shop will be the chain’s first suburban Chicago location after openings elsewhere in Illinois, and the outlet identifies Edwardsville as the brand’s first Illinois store.
Where Dutch Bros Already Is In Illinois
According to the Edwardsville location page on Dutch Bros, the chain operates a drive-thru at 2475 Troy Road, and the Urbana location page on Dutch Bros lists 809 W Green St as a December 2025 opening. Those location pages highlight the brand’s pickup-window model and typical hours. The Melrose Park store will extend that footprint closer to Chicago’s western suburbs.
The Site And Its Past
Commercial property listings for 1931 N Mannheim describe a roughly 2,500-square-foot building on about 0.42 acres that has been marketed for sale or lease, matching descriptions of a long-vacant storefront that has sat empty for years. According to LoopNet, the lot’s commercial zoning and proximity to high-traffic corridors make it attractive to drive-thru concepts. Local listings also note the space previously held a cash-loans operation, offering an easy conversion to a single-use drive-thru.
What The Build Could Look Like
Planning documents for recent Illinois Dutch Bros builds show the compact, single-window model often paired with dual drive-thru lanes that merge and an “escape lane” for handoffs. As reported by The Intelligencer, the Glen Carbon site plan included those features and room for long car queues. That layout helps the chain handle big opening-day lines but can also alter traffic flows at busy intersections…