ROCKFORD — A national drive-thru coffee chain with hundreds of locations across the country is preparing to open its first shop in the city.
Dutch Bros Coffee plans to open a dual-lane drive-thru at 7131 E. State St., which is just east of Perryville Road in the lot in front of Ashley furniture, Urban Air Adventure Park and Planet Fitness. It would be built on an outlot created on the northwest end of the large parking lot.
The coffee chain opened its first location in Illinois on Sept. 17 in Edwardsville, and Rockford is part of its first wave of expansion into the state. The goal is to start construction in spring and open by the third quarter of 2026, according to Adam Bell, vice president of development at Core Acquisitions, a Deerfield-based real estate developer…