Fast-Growing PJ's Coffee to Open Over 40 Locations This Year

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'. However, that could soon change in some parts of the country as a regional rival plots aggressive expansion for 2024.

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. It serves a variety of coffees, lattes, frozen drinks, energy drinks, sandwiches, and pastries, including fresh beignets in a nod to its Louisiana roots.

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. This year, it plans to "outshine 2023" by opening more than 40 additional locations, the post revealed.

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. Meanwhile, coffee-loving customers have also been flocking to PJ's stores in droves. Customer visits were a whopping 91.6% higher this past November than they were in 2019, QSR Magazine reported in December 2023.

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.

"As we head into 2024, we eagerly anticipate more milestones, partnerships, and the continued growth of our brand as a beacon of quality coffee and community engagement," the post read.

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. Since the company ended 2023 with 831 locations, the new openings in 2024 could push it much closer to the 1,000-unit milestone.

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. Starbucks also said that it eventually wants to expand to a whopping 55,000 locations globally, a major jump from the more than 38,000 locations it has now.