Black Rock Coffee Bar, the coffee chain that started in a 160-square-foot Beaverton drive-thru in 2008, is up for two national awards in USA Today's 2026 Readers' Choice contest.

An expert panel nominated Black Rock for both Best Coffee Chain and Best Drive-Thru Coffee, The Oregonian reported. The chain is one of 20 nominees in the Best Coffee Chain category.

Public voting runs through the morning of Monday, Oct. 19, at 10best.usatoday.com, with winners announced Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Black Rock isn't the only Oregon chain in the running. Dutch Bros. Coffee, founded in Grants Pass, earned nominations in both categories. Stumptown Coffee Roasters, headquartered in Portland, is also up for Best Coffee Chain.

The nominations follow Black Rock's 2025 results: eighth for Best Coffee Chain and fifth for Best Drive-Thru Coffee. Dutch Bros. finished sixth and fourth in those same categories last year.

The company has grown fast. Daniel Brand and Jeff Hernandez founded Black Rock in Beaverton in 2008. As of Dec. 31, 2025, the chain had 181 company-owned locations across seven states, according to its fourth-quarter earnings release. Black Rock went public on the Nasdaq in September 2025, raising roughly $306.5 million. The company describes itself as the largest fully company-owned coffee retailer in the country.

In March, Black Rock opened a new location at 3340 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., its 35th Oregon store. CEO Mark Davis said in a March 27 press release announcing that opening, "Oregon has always been a key part of Black Rock's story, and we're proud to continue growing in the state where it all began."

Residents who want to back the hometown chain can cast one vote per day in each category at the USA Today awards site through Oct. 19.