Three in a Row? We’re Up for Best Coffee Chain Again!

September 21, 2026

I won’t lie: in 2024, when I received an email that we had been nominated for USA Today’s Best Coffee Chain, I thought it was a long shot. The list contained very, very big names in coffee with literally thousands more locations than us, a relatively small company with less than 20 cafes in two cities.

As it turns out, I was wrong. And even better: it was you, our guests and customers, who proved me wrong.

Today, Kaldi’s Coffee is back in the running for USA Today Readers’ Choice Best Coffee Chain. In 2024 and 2025, we took the top spot, and 2026 marks our chance to make it an incredible three wins in a row.

This would not even be in the realm of possibility without the people we love to serve, whether in our cafés or in their homes. We quite literally could not have accomplished these wins alone. That fact makes the recognition all the more meaningful. Our guests and customers have shown up in force during each of the last two years to support Kaldi’s Coffee, and each win has felt like a reminder that what we are doing is making an impact.

Today, I’d like to share what your vote means to the hardworking team members of Kaldi’s Coffee and, if you’d like to join the cause, humbly ask for your time and your vote.

Vote in the 2026 USA Today Readers' Choice Poll for Best Coffee Chain

VOTE FOR KALDI'S COFFEE IN USA TODAY

You can vote once per day, per device, until voting closes.

Getting Nominated the First Time in 2024

Our team was delighted simply to see Kaldi’s Coffee included among the list of 20 coffee companies back in 2024. As we wrote at the time, national recognition is by no means the why behind what we do or how we do it. But it does provide a boost to the spirits of the hardworking people and producing partners who make your morning cup possible.

So, the marketing team and I sent some newsletters, shared the voting link on social media, and asked you to help us. I won’t lie: it seemed like a stretch—a little bit of David versus Goliath.

I can understand why some people may view Kaldi’s as a “big” company, but we are not nationwide, hundreds-of-locations, Super-Bowl-ad-budget big by any stretch of the imagination.

Happily, I soon learned that I had underestimated our guests and the connection they feel to our mission. When the votes were tallied and we were announced as the winners, we collectively celebrated what felt like a once-in-a-lifetime jolt of much-appreciated recognition. It felt incredible to share that news with our team.

Personally, I left that vote feeling more inspired than ever to keep doing what you know us for: great coffee served by great people.

Winning Again in 2025

In the fall of 2025, we got word that we had been nominated again. I could not help but doubt that lightning would strike twice. Maybe that was just my tendency not to get my hopes up. Or maybe I figured other brands would catch on and double down on their own efforts.

An old adage came to mind: something that happens once could always just be a fluke.

I was pretty quickly humbled. From the onset of voting, we stayed in the No. 1 position, with some slight fluctuation near the end. Once again, we asked for your support through email and social media—and once again, you showed up to get us over the finish line.

Later that October, we were able to share the news of a second win. You can see the full top 10 below.

There is something about these wins happening just before the holiday season, too. Maybe it is just me, but it makes the air around our busiest time of year feel a little lighter, a little more celebratory, and a little more reflective of everything that led us there. We capped off 2025 on a high note, grateful for something that could never be expected but always feels deeply appreciated.

What a Third Win Would—and Would Not—Mean

First, let me say simply what a third win would not do: it would not change what we show up to do each morning.

Serving you already brings plenty of rewarding moments. Each handoff of a drink is a reward. Each shipment of a favorite blend that leaves our Roastery is a reward. Knowing the work of our producing partners ends up in delicious, well-executed lattes and home brewing machines around the country never gets old.

Still, I’ll be honest: three Readers’ Choice wins in a row would be incredible.

I like to think of it as a collective celebration of doing the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. The win does not validate that work; it celebrates it. It recognizes that while trends may come and go, incredible service and great quality will always be worth supporting.

It would also reflect something we feel every day: that a Midwestern, family-owned company that has existed for more than three decades can still build a community strong enough to show up in national polling. And it is another signal that there can be a deeper connection between a barista and a guest than a simple transaction.

All that said, what would happen if we do not win this year? At the risk of making this whole blog meaningless: almost nothing.

We would keep working closely with our producing partners to bring you incredible coffees from around the world. We would keep serving high-quality drinks with exceptional hospitality in mind. And we would keep viewing coffee as the drink of discovery that it truly is.

But still… what if?

Thank you for your support in all the ways you show it. It will always mean the world to us—a win that happens hundreds of times a day, in small ways and large.

Rob Wilhelm, Kaldi's Coffee Head of Marketing

VOTE FOR KALDI'S COFFEE IN USA TODAY

You can vote once per day, per device, until voting closes.