Dutch Bros Coffee opens its first Columbus-area shop on Monday, Nov. 2, bringing the Oregon drive-through chain into central Ohio with a new stand on the Far West Side, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The first local Dutch Bros is at 5344 W. Broad St., and it opens at 5 a.m. every day, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Opening day comes with a small extra: while supplies last, customers will receive a free keychain with every drink purchase on Nov. 2, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The menu is the chain’s standard lineup — hot, iced and frozen coffee, plus teas, smoothies, shakes and Dutch Bros’ own line of energy drinks, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The Columbus opening is the first of three central Ohio shops the company plans by early 2027, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Dutch Bros operates about 1,300 shops in 27 states, and central Ohio is one of the newest markets on its map — a measure of how crowded the region’s coffee and drive-through business has become.
A second location, at 9930 Johnstown Road (U.S. 62) in New Albany, is expected to open before the end of the year, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The third shop, now under construction at 5939 Sunbury Road north of State Route 161 in Blendon Township, is scheduled to open in early 2027, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The three addresses trace the region’s growth corridors. West Broad Street serves the Far West Side and the Hilltop-Galloway corridor; Johnstown Road puts the chain in fast-growing New Albany; and Sunbury Road north of Route 161 sits in Blendon Township’s retail strip, one of northeast Franklin County’s busiest commercial runs. Each is a drive-through-first format built for commuters rather than sit-down cafe traffic.
Dutch Bros is not arriving in an empty market. Related coverage: Dunkin’ plans at least nine new Columbus-area stores through 2027, and the region’s established local chains and independent coffeehouses already line the same corridors. The chains are betting that Columbus-area growth — new subdivisions in New Albany and Blendon Township, steady traffic on West Broad — can support all of them.
The opening also lands in a busy season for Columbus retail and dining, as the city’s holiday season opens with new lights displays and returning favorites. A 5 a.m. daily opening time is aimed squarely at early-shift workers and school-run parents on the West Side, the hours when drive-through coffee does most of its business.
The rollout has a clear timeline. Monday’s West Broad Street opening is the market entry. The New Albany shop on Johnstown Road follows before the end of the year, putting the chain in one of the state’s fastest-growing suburban markets in time for the holiday shopping season. The Blendon Township shop on Sunbury Road, still under construction, completes the first wave in early 2027 — three corners of the region covered in about four months, according to the schedule The Columbus Dispatch reported.
For the Far West Side, the opening is also a small landmark. West Broad Street’s commercial corridor has seen years of reinvestment arguments and uneven results, and a national chain choosing 5344 W. Broad St. for its market debut — rather than a suburban site — puts the corridor first in line. The 5 a.m. opening hour matches the corridor’s workforce: health care, warehouse, construction and service workers whose shifts start before most coffee shops unlock their doors.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What is confirmed, per The Columbus Dispatch: the West Broad Street shop opens Nov. 2 at 5344 W. Broad St. with 5 a.m. daily hours and a free-keychain opening-day offer while supplies last; the New Albany shop at 9930 Johnstown Road is expected before the end of the year; and the Blendon Township shop at 5939 Sunbury Road is scheduled for early 2027. Still to come are exact opening dates for the New Albany and Blendon Township shops and any hiring or further-expansion announcements from the company.
What happens next is the New Albany opening, expected before the end of the year, followed by the Blendon Township shop in early 2027. By spring, Columbus-area drivers will be able to judge for themselves whether the Oregon chain’s drive-through model earns a place in the region’s morning routine.
Photo: DanTD, CC BY
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