In 1977, Dana and Becky Lawrentz were chatting with friends over brews in their hometown, Akron, Ohio, discussing how a gas station convenience store in the area had built a makeshift drive-through. Everyone agreed it would be great if you could actually drive through a convenience store and pick up everything you needed without getting out of the car. But what would you call a place like that? Well, you’d call it a Brew Thru.

The Lawrentzes moved to the Outer Banks and built the first Brew Thru with the help of a partner. The idea was that people could a buy everything they would need for their trip to the beach—beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, ice—without getting out of the car. That same year, a t-shirt salesman visiting the store, talked them into adding t-shirts to their product line— and 45 years later there are now more than five million Brew Thru t-shirts out in the wild.

The Lawrentzes’ daughter Brandy and her husband Philip Foreman, who both grew up on the Outer Banks, purchased the business from them in 2002. There are now five Brew Thrus located in Corolla, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and two in Nags Head. They’ve also opened the Brew Thru Shop in Kill Devil Hills to allow patrons to shop at their leisure for additional Brew Thru apparel and gifts that can’t be found at all drive-through locations.

Realizing the palate for beer and wine drinkers has broadened over the years, Brew Thru now offers over 100 different brands of beer, which includes imports, micro-beers and many beers brewed right in North Carolina. Every year, Brew Thru holds a retreat for store managers and vendors in which everyone gets together to sample products and decide on the top beer and wine picks of the year. “We want to offer what’s hot in the market right now, and it’s much easier to sell products that we enjoy ourselves!” Foreman says.

Because of the vast selection of items at Brew Thru, they have created the Summer-y (a play on “summary”), a showcase of the Brew Thru souvenirs, beer, wine, cigars and more, which helps shoppers see all that is available for their Brew Thru experience. The staff’s favorites, also known as Big D’s Picks, are denoted by a thumbs up in the Summer-y.

Brew Thru is very thankful to be part of such a wonderful beach community and loves to give back. Since the Foremans purchased the company, they have donated more than $300,000 to various local and national nonprofits like the OBX Get Pinked! Campaign, the Outer Banks Relief Foundation, the Dare Education Foundation, March of Dimes and more. Both Philip and Brandy have served on several local boards and are active participants in many local charitable events.

“Our family has been welcoming visitors to the Outer Banks since 1977,” Foreman says. “It’s all about treating our customers the way that we want to be treated.”

Brew Thru
888-Bru-Thru | BrewThru.com
Corolla, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Jockey’s Ridge

Pictured Above:
Philip Foreman, Owner

Author: Chris Murphy

Chris is a creative force with a passion for writing and web design. As Web Creative Director at VistaGraphics, Inc. and VistaDigital Agency, she leads a team of digital experts in crafting stunning, user-friendly websites. When not immersed in her web development responsibilities, she enjoys writing articles for various in-house hospitality publications and exploring the Virginia outdoors with family and friends.