According to filings submitted to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality, Better Buzz is planning a new café at 201 South Rancho Santa Fe Road in San Marcos, marking the second outpost of the coffee concept for the North County San Diego community. The location is expected to replace an existing KFC restaurant, though a timeline for construction, closure of the current tenant, or opening has not yet been announced.
If completed, the San Marcos café would add to a rapidly growing footprint that already stretches across San Diego County, with locations in communities including Pacific Beach, Hillcrest, Del Mar, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Escondido, La Mesa, Point Loma, Mira Mesa, and beyond. The company is also actively developing a new location in Santee.
Founded in Pacific Beach in 2002, Better Buzz has transformed from a small local coffee stand into one of San Diego's most recognizable café brands. The company has built its popularity around specialty espresso beverages, cold brew drinks, breakfast items, avocado toast, açai bowls, and social media-friendly creations such as its signature Best Drink Ever.
The proposed San Marcos café follows Better Buzz's increasingly familiar expansion strategy of converting existing fast-food properties into modern coffee destinations with drive-thru service, outdoor seating, and highly branded interiors designed to appeal to younger consumers and remote workers.
Yet the company's rapid growth has not come without controversy. Earlier this year, San Diego tattoo artist @morbidink publicly accused Better Buzz of using a modified version of her original artwork on company merchandise without permission, compensation, or attribution. According to the artist, she was invited to contribute a design that she believed would be used on custom apparel after being selected through an internal process involving employees at the company's Bonita location.
The artist later claimed that the final merchandise featured an altered version of her work while removing her social media handle and attribution. Better Buzz denied any unauthorized use of the artwork, describing the garment as a one-time internal employee gift and stating that the final design was developed through its normal creative process. The dispute generated significant discussion across social media and drew criticism from local artists who viewed the situation as emblematic of larger concerns surrounding creative credit and compensation.
The company has also faced labor-related scrutiny in recent years. In 2024, employees at multiple Better Buzz locations voted to unionize under UFCW Local 135, citing concerns regarding scheduling, wages, benefits, and working conditions as the company expanded throughout Southern California.
Despite those controversies, Better Buzz continues to grow at a remarkable pace. The brand now operates dozens of locations throughout Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Orange County, making it one of San Diego's most successful locally founded coffee companies.
For San Marcos residents, the proposed café will add another drive-thru coffee option along one of North County's busiest commercial corridors. Whether the community embraces another Better Buzz remains to be seen, but the company's expansion strategy shows little sign of slowing down.
The proposed Better Buzz Coffee location would be located at 201 South Rancho Santa Fe Road in San Marcos. An opening date has not yet been announced.
Originally published on June 12, 2026. Information first reported by Joey Reams of WhatNow.
