Dutch Bros Coffee wants to tear down a vacant Jack in the Box in Tacoma's South End and replace it with the chain's first location in the city.
A pre-application filed with the city of Tacoma proposes a 1,025-square-foot drive-thru and walk-up coffee stand at 7605 S. Hosmer St., at the corner of South Hosmer and South 76th streets near Floor & Décor, Debbie Cockrell of The News Tribune first reported. The former 3,184-square-foot Jack in the Box building, which closed in 2024, would be demolished.
The site plan calls for dual drive-thru lanes that can hold up to 15 vehicles, 27 parking spaces and a patio with a covered canopy on the west side of the building. Three of those parking spots are designated for mobile orders placed through the Dutch Bros app.
Documents in the pre-application describe the proposal as a "Site Test Fit Package" that the coffee chain preliminarily approved in early September. The project narrative explains how the stand's ordering model differs from a traditional drive-thru: "All customer orders are taken in person either at the window or with a runner that carries a handheld device to transmit orders to the kitchen." The filing says that approach cuts noise and vehicle idling.
The Tacoma stand would join Dutch Bros' other Pierce County locations. The chain opened its first county stand in Fife in 2019 and has since added spots in Lakewood, Puyallup and Graham. Across Washington, Dutch Bros operates 74 locations.
The pre-application timeline calls for permit filings in early 2027 and initial construction in early 2028.
The News Tribune reported that a Dutch Bros media representative declined to share information on the project.
That's a long wait. But the filing offers a detailed look at what the site would become.
Dutch Bros, founded in 1992 in Grants Pass, Ore., now operates more than 1,300 stands across nearly 30 states. The publicly traded company announced its headquarters relocation to Tempe, Ariz., in June 2025. Permit filings in early 2027 will signal whether the Tacoma project stays on track.
