I May Have Missed My Chance.

Before graduating high school, my daughter worked as a barista at what was then Clutch Coffee and is now Dutch Bros Coffee. Starbucks, Dutch Bros, Caribou — you name it, we’ve pretty much got it. Much like banks and mattress stores, it sometimes feels like there’s a coffee shop on every corner.

But there has been one notable exception – 7 Brew

The rapidly growing drive-thru coffee chain has developed a loyal following especially for those who have moved here from areas that had a 7 Brew, (Much like Sheets and Wawa?) and, depending on whom you ask, is considered one of the best in the business.

Now, to be fair, I’m probably not qualified to settle the great coffee debate. I drink mine black. My theory has always been that if you have to fill coffee with enough cream, syrup, and foam to turn it into dessert, maybe the coffee wasn’t that good to begin with.

I’m sure that opinion just cost me a few readers.

But 7 Brew’s popularity definitely caught my attention. In fact, some time ago I actually kicked around the idea of putting a 7 Brew franchise at Exit 33, on the vacant parcel in front of Food Lion. I thought about it. And thought about it. And apparently thought about it for too long.

The company is pursuing plans for a location on River Highway, on the vacant property beside Sam’s Car Wash, with the site currently going through the rezoning process. If approved and ultimately developed, it would bring another major drive-thru coffee brand to one of Mooresville’s busiest commercial corridors — and give local coffee drinkers yet another reason to debate who makes the best cup in town.

For those unfamiliar with 7 Brew, the concept is built almost entirely around drive-thru service, with a menu that goes well beyond traditional coffee. Its stores typically offer espresso drinks, flavored coffees, energy drinks, teas, smoothies and other highly customizable beverages.

In other words, exactly the type of place that will probably have a line wrapped around the building while I’m passing by with my plain black coffee.

As with any rezoning request, there are still steps that have to take place before anything is guaranteed. But if the project moves forward, Mooresville may finally be adding the one major coffee name that has been missing from our growing collection.

And somewhere in all of this is a business lesson I probably should have learned years ago: You snooze, you lose.

Especially when there’s coffee involved.