NEWPORT, Ky. — When Arkansas-based coffee company 7 Brew opened a location in Newport in April, the handcrafted specialty drinks were an instant hit.
But in the few months in business, demand remains so high that it brews up daily traffic backups, frustrations and concerns.
The drive-thru shop sits in the parking lot of the shopping plaza located on the corner of Carothers Road and Monmouth Street. Because of that, customers trying to access 7 Brew use the same two entrances that other plaza patrons do.
That's where the problem comes in.
WATCH: See the traffic mess stemming from popular 7 Brew coffee in Newport
Despite two dedicated lanes and employees taking orders on tablets, cars spill into the plaza throughway and block the intersection off the Carothers Road entrance. We spent an hour observing the drive-thru from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday and saw cars at a standstill for minutes at a time while some cars struggled to navigate around the jam.
Traffic entering the plaza built up several cars deep because the lead car could not move past the stop sign. On Monday, a firetruck with activated sirens moving down the access road to Newport Central Catholic High School squeezed through a gap in the traffic.
Viewers and people we spoke with in the plaza parking lot told us that on busy weekends, traffic can even back up onto the main thoroughfare.
"It's a nightmare," Donna Spafford said.
The Covington resident said she frequents the shopping plaza several times a week and that she rarely avoids a traffic jam.
"There are times when it is impossible to get in here if you're coming up Monmouth Street because the light is backed up there, so you have to wait two or three times, and then you might wait another two times to get to the left-hand turn and not be able to go anywhere," Spafford said.
She's an Aldi loyalist and prioritizes shopping there, but when traffic gets so bad, she'll choose to avoid the aggravation and shop elsewhere.
"I hate when I have to go to other stores, but I'll just drive down the street and go to a different one," Spafford said.
Though primarily a drive-thru operation, 7 Brew does have a walk-up window option. We caught up with a young couple who chose to get their drinks that way.
"When I pulled up, we just parked right here in this little parking lot and did a walk-up instead of just making the traffic worse and stopping at that stop sign and holding everybody up," Mason Williams said.
The college student said it was his second time patronizing this 7 Brew location, but that he's stopped at others across Kentucky. Each one he's been to was busy.
"If this line was any longer, I wouldn't have waited that long just to get a little coffee or an energy drink like this, but a lot of people do wait a long time for this," Williams said.
Frustration and aggravation are prominent complaints we've heard, but they're not the only ones. There's a significant safety concern, too.
"There's a bigger chance of getting hit by somebody who doesn't see your car and realize that you're sitting there. And I've had a couple of close calls with that, where you just kind of go, 'Oof. You know? Beep, Beep. I'm right here,'" Spafford said. "It's an impediment."
We wanted to know if the city of Newport was aware of the issue. Chief of Police Christopher Fangman replied to our inquiry and confirmed they're not only aware of it, but they're actively working with 7 Brew management and the plaza owner on a potential solution.
Thank you for reaching out as we have been working with Seven Brew Coffee reference the concerns over traffic congestion stemming from the popularity of their business. We have been working with Seven Brew management as its current traffic management setup has proven insufficient for the volume of vehicles, leading to congestion that often extends into the public roadways. We have also spoken with the owner of the entire plaza commercial property as we identify immediate and long-term solutions.
With all that said, we are committed to fostering a safe, vibrant community where businesses and residents thrive together. Through open dialogue and proactive planning, we have had lot of success in bringing everyone together to develop the most optimal solution. As for our latest interaction with the plaza property ownership, we have been assured of a traffic flow redesign on the property which we have been advised will alleviate the current traffic issues.
We also reached out to 7 Brew for a comment on the situation, but did not hear back by the time of this publication. When we asked Chief Fangman for more specifics on the planned traffic flow redesign, he said he wasn't at liberty to share.
"As the plaza is private property, we cannot speak for them as we have to respect their decision-making and timelines as it relates to their tenants," Fangman said in a follow-up email. "Point being, we are looking forward to Seven Brew management, as well as the property owner, to complete their plans as efficiently as possible. We will continue to monitor the traffic on the public roadways to ensure their plan is being carried out and effective."
