One of the most popular coffee chains on the West Coast has just opened in the Chicago area

Chicago’s caffeine wars are about to get a whole lot louder.

After years of Midwest coffee drinkers watching West Coast fans post suspiciously enthusiastic TikToks about “broistas,” energy drinks and drive-thru lines wrapped around entire parking lots, Dutch Bros Coffee is finally making a serious push into the Chicago area.

The Oregon-born chain officially opened its first Chicagoland location yesterday, May 14, in Melrose Park at 1931 N. Mannheim Road, starting what appears to be an aggressive suburban expansion across the region—and judging by the opening-day crowds already forming, Chicago may be fully prepared to lose its mind over Rebel energy drinks and iced Golden Eagles.

Founded in Grants Pass, Oregon, in 1992, Dutch Bros has evolved from a small espresso cart run by two brothers into one of the biggest coffee chains in America. The company now operates more than 1,177 locations across 25 states and says it has become the third-largest coffee chain in the U.S. But unlike traditional coffee shops built around laptops and lingering, Dutch Bros is essentially engineered for pure caffeine velocity. Most locations are drive-thru-first setups focused on speed, loud music, ultra-friendly service and customizable drinks.

The Melrose Park opening is only the beginning. Additional Chicago-area locations are already planned for Oak Park and Elk Grove Village, while shops in Rockford, Buffalo Grove and New Lenox are expected to arrive as early as this summer. A proposed Oswego outpost is also moving through planning stages, potentially bringing the chain even deeper into the suburbs.

The chain already operates several Illinois locations downstate, including shops in Urbana, Edwardsville, Fairview Heights and Mt. Vernon, but Chicagoland has long remained the glaring missing piece of its Illinois expansion.

“Opening in the Chicago area has always been a dream for us at Dutch Bros and Melrose Park is just the beginning,” Allie Lahti, the local market lead at Dutch Bros Coffee, said in a release. “We’ve already felt so much love from this community.”