Depending on where you live in the United States, you might be hard-pressed to find a coffee shop that isn't operated by a major national brand like Starbucks or Dunkin'.
This fast-growing competitor is PJ's Coffee of New Orleans, a chain that's mostly concentrated in the South aside from a select few East Coast and Midwest locations.
According to a recent blog post on its website, PJ's opened 28 new stores last year in various states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, and New Jersey.
These dozens of planned openings will further accelerate PJ's already rapid pace of expansion in recent years.
The chain said that it doubled its total unit count in less than six years upon opening its 175th location in Pensacola, Fla., this past August.
In the blog post, PJ's attributed its recent successes to both the quality of its products and the franchisees who run its shops and connect with local communities.
PJ's isn't the only major coffee chain that's ramping up its expansion plans right now. Dutch Bros. Coffee, which opened an impressive 159 new shops in 2023, recently announced that it plans to open between 150 and 165 additional new stores in 2024.
Starbucks is also working to further strengthen its title as the world's largest coffee chain. In November 2023, the chain revealed plans to open 17,000 additional stores by 2030.