Dutch Bros Coffee has agreed to acquire the 20-unit Clutch Coffee Bar, a drive-thru chain with locations across the Carolinas, reported QSR News. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“According to a post on Clutch Coffee’s Facebook page, the brand’s last day of business will be Friday, [January 16], with stores closing at 4 p.m. The plan will be for restaurants to close, renovate and then reopen as Dutch Bros. Notably, Dutch Bros has just two Carolina locations presently—one in Morrisville, North Carolina, and a unit in Summerville, South Carolina,” wrote the outlet.
In 2025, Dutch Bros announced it plans to operate over 2,000 shops by the year 2029.
Earlier this month, research firm Placer.ai reported that while Dutch Bros focused on heavy expansion, modest same-store visit performance suggests that the brand is entering a phase of “market maturity that requires new ways to drive greater traffic growth at existing locations.”
“But to maintain its growth momentum, Dutch Bros will likely need to look beyond its beverage-first identity. By strategically expanding its breakfast offerings, the brand can attract a new segment of morning diners while driving incremental spend from its existing loyal customer base,” the research firm said.
The brand is targeting the morning daypart by introducing breakfast offerings—the menu reached approximately 160 stores by the end of September 2025 with plans to deploy the menu across its store fleet in 2026.