Fullerton / North Orange County
Fullerton's coffee market splits by format. Starbucks' locator shows 17 Fullerton locations, and the five with drive-thrus sit on the arterials: Harbor Boulevard (1101 S. and 1390 N.), Euclid Street (1201 S. and 2001 N.) and Imperial Highway (147 E.). Walk-in cafes cluster near Cal State Fullerton on the 500 block of North State College Boulevard, where Philz and a Starbucks cafe both have addresses, and in Amerige Heights Town Center on West Malvern, where Regency's table shows Starbucks (1,600 sq ft), Jamba (1,200) and Katsubo Tea Shoppe (1,000) in shop space. Dutch Bros, Peet's and 7 Brew show no Fullerton location, so a second drive-thru coffee brand would be new to the city.
Population
140,968
Median HHI
$104,286
Median age
36.9
Homeownership
51.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Harbor Boulevard · Commonwealth Avenue · Chapman Avenue · Malvern Avenue · Imperial Highway
Specific shopping centers in Fullerton that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
1889–2291 W. Malvern Avenue
Anchors / key tenants: Target, Albertsons, Ross, Barnes & Noble
Regency Centers-owned retail core of the 293-acre Amerige Heights master-planned community (1,365 homes). Mix includes Bath & Body Works, Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks, Menchie's, Starbucks, McDonald's. The strongest national co-tenancy in Fullerton.
100 & 150 South Harbor Boulevard
Anchors / key tenants: downtown Fullerton dining and nightlife mix
SWC of Harbor and Commonwealth — the heart of downtown Fullerton's premier shopping and dining district. Walkable, evening-and-weekend daypart, Cal State Fullerton walk-up traffic.
Harbor Boulevard between Wilshire and Chapman
Anchors / key tenants: chef-driven and nightlife district
Walkable downtown Fullerton entertainment, dining, and nightlife core — strong weekend evening and student daypart. CSUF walk-up + transit-station + Cal State Fullerton/Hope International student crossover.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Fullerton rents. These are publicly visible coffee shop space businesses currently trading in the market.
Starbucks (Gilbert & Malvern, Amerige Heights Town Center)
1951 W. Malvern Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92833
Starbucks' locator names the center, and Regency Centers' tenant table shows Starbucks in 1,600 sq ft (R01) next to Jamba (1,200 sq ft, R02). The same center lists Katsubo Tea Shoppe in 1,000 sq ft (B04). No drive-thru listed.
Starbucks (Harbor & Hill)
1101 S. Harbor Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92832
Drive-thru store per Starbucks' locator, on the south Harbor Boulevard retail stretch near Orangethorpe Avenue.
Starbucks (Imperial & Harbor)
147 E. Imperial Highway, Fullerton, CA 92835
Drive-thru store on Imperial Highway per Starbucks' locator.
Starbucks (Euclid & Orangethorpe)
1201 S. Euclid Street, Fullerton, CA 92832
Drive-thru store. Starbucks also lists drive-thrus at Euclid & Rosecrans (2001 N. Euclid Street) and Harbor & Brea (1390 N. Harbor Boulevard).
Philz Coffee Fullerton
520 N. State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92831
Per Philz' own locations list, which showed the day's hours as 5:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Near the Cal State Fullerton end of State College Boulevard.
Starbucks (State College & Chapman)
505 N. State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92831
Cafe with no drive-thru listed, on the same 500 block of North State College Boulevard as Philz. Starbucks also lists three campus locations at 800 N. State College Boulevard (Cal State Fullerton) and one at Fullerton College, 321 E. Chapman Avenue.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Orangethorpe & South Harbor)
205 Orangefair Avenue, #11A, Fullerton, CA 92832
The only Fullerton cafe on Coffee Bean's locator; the next nearest are in Brea, about four miles away.
01
What the city calls a coffee shop: FMC 15.30.030.2(A)(19) and 15.30.030.3(A)(23) permit 'Restaurant, without on-site alcohol sales or entertainment' by right in G-C and C-3, and 15.30.030.1(B)(13) makes a restaurant a CUP in O-P. Chapter 15.04 defines a restaurant as having kitchen facilities for cooking unpackaged food, and separately defines a take-out restaurant as a specialty food use with 12 seats or fewer. A drinks-only bar without a cooking line may be classed as a retail and service use instead, so get Planning's label in writing, because the parking ratio follows it.
02
The 13th seat changes parking: Table 15.30.060(A) parks fast food, donut and take-out uses with 12 seats or fewer at 1 space per 250 sq ft (minimum six spaces) and any eating establishment with 13 or more seats at 1 per 100. A 1,600 sq ft cafe like the Amerige Heights Starbucks needs 7 spaces at 12 seats and 16 at 13 or more. Under 15.30.060(E), a by-right use moving into an existing building needs no added parking if the building is not expanded and the property has no open code enforcement case, so ask the landlord to confirm there are none.
03
Downtown parking relief: the Restaurant Overlay District in FMC Chapter 15.67 lets restaurants in and around the Central Business District open without on-site parking or a CUP (15.67.010(B)), but it does not apply to drive-through restaurants, restaurants with more than 200 seats or restaurants with dance floors (15.67.010(E)). The boundary map in 15.67.020 did not reproduce in the code copy we read, so confirm whether a downtown address such as Harbor & Commonwealth Plaza (100 and 150 S. Harbor) is inside it. Exterior changes in the Central Business District also go through site plan review when the CBD Design Guidelines require design review (15.47.020(F)).
04
Drive-thru review: the use lists in 15.30.030 have no separate drive-through category, and we found no queue-length or stacking standard in Chapters 15.04, 15.30, 15.47, 15.55, 15.56, 15.70 or 15.71. A new building or storefront change in any commercial zone goes through site plan review (15.30.045 and 15.47.020(B)), which is minor only when the project is CEQA-exempt and needs no discretionary approval (15.47.025). Ask Planning in writing how it will review lane length and circulation before an LOI.
05
Patio and sound: FMC 15.30.040(C)(9) allows outdoor sales and consumption of food and beverages at restaurants. The 2025 noise rules in 15.90.030(B) (Ord. 3350) cap noise from any commercial activity in G-C and C-3, including outdoor dining and amplified sound, at 75 dBA (5-minute) and 80 dBA (1-minute) from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 65 and 70 dBA overnight, measured at the property line, and speakers must not be plainly audible inside neighboring buildings with doors and windows closed.
06
Health permit and grease: the OC Health Care Agency's Plan Check unit reviews plans for all new and remodeled food facilities (Health and Safety Code 114380), with the annual health permit billed separately. OC San's FOG ordinance OCSD-25 does not regulate limited food preparation establishments that only reheat, hot hold or assemble ready-to-eat food, and OC San sets interceptors at 750 gallons minimum and 1,500 maximum where required; OC San also says each city or sewer agency runs its own FOG program, so ask Fullerton Public Works which rules apply to the suite and whether the menu triggers an interceptor.
Zoning, licensing, and demographic figures on this page come from the public records below. Codes and licenses change, so confirm with the city and the licensing agency before you sign.