2025 Fast & Serious Winners: No. 3 Scooter’s Coffee

Growing sustainably also means increasing profitability, Scooter’s Coffee CEO Joe Thornton said. “Our focus on driving unit-level economics is key to fueling future growth,” he said in an email. Scooter’s ended 2023 with 750 units and since 2021 added 350 locations, a three-year growth rate of 87.5 percent. System sales are increasing, too, up 114.5 percent during the measurement period, from $263 million to $564 million. To broaden awareness for the Omaha, Nebraska-based brand, it’s leaned into partnerships, including sponsoring a college football bowl game last year, the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl in Texas. “These partnerships expose us to more people interested in franchising and open doors to other opportunities, like our partnerships with Hasbro and Oreo,” Thornton said. The economy in the last three years has been unpredictable and seemingly ever-changing, which proved challenging for Scooter’s and the restaurant industry overall. “As those indicators continue to return to normal levels, it will decrease the pressure on growth,” he said. “What we’ve done to overcome it is to be conscious about pricing, as well as helping our franchisees find the best real estate to offset interest rates.”