By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Burned because of someone else?
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What to do after a Black Rock Coffee Bar burn
- Cool the burn. For a minor burn with unbroken skin, run cool water, not ice water, over it for at least 5 to 30 minutes, and do not pull off clothing stuck to the skin (MedlinePlus).
- Get emergency care for a serious burn. MedlinePlus says to call 911 for a burn about the size of your palm or larger, a full-thickness burn, or when you are unsure. The American Burn Association recommends burn center consultation for any full-thickness burn, partial-thickness burns of 10% or more of the body, and deep burns of the face, hands, feet, genitals or perineum or over a joint (ABA referral guidelines).
- Note whether you were at the drive-thru window or the lobby counter, and in the lobby, whether the floor was wet.
- Keep the cup and lid together. If the lid came off, it is the main exhibit.
- Keep your app order or receipt. The 10-K says the Black Rock app supports order-ahead, so the order record can show the store and the time.
- Write down the names of the barista and any witnesses, and photograph the burn daily for two weeks with a ruler or coin for scale.
- Have a lawyer send Black Rock a preservation demand for the store’s video within days. See our preservation letter and after-a-burn checklist.
Black Rock by the numbers
Black Rock Coffee Bar was founded in 2008 in Beaverton, Oregon, by Daniel Brand and Jeff Hernandez, starting with a single 160-square-foot coffee bar. In its Form 10-K for 2025, the company called itself “the largest fully company-owned coffee retailer in the country,” with 181 locations in seven states as of December 31, 2025. It said it “was founded as a drive-thru only concept,” that all of its locations include drive-thrus, and that about 73% also had seating areas it calls lobbies (Form 10-K).
The 10-K’s property chart breaks the 181 stores down by state (10-K store chart):
| State | Stores, Dec. 31, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 62 |
| Texas | 47 |
| Oregon | 34 |
| Colorado | 13 |
| Washington | 12 |
| Idaho | 8 |
| California | 5 |
| Total | 181 |
By June 30, 2026, the count had reached 200 stores in the same seven states. In the second quarter of 2026 the company opened 10 net new stores in Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Idaho, and about 75% of locations had lobbies (Form 10-Q).
Black Rock went public on September 15, 2025, selling Class A shares at $20.00 each; the stock trades on Nasdaq as BRCB. The parent company was re-domiciled as a Texas corporation in June 2025, has its headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and roasts coffee in Tempe, Arizona, and Vancouver, Washington (Form 10-K; Form 10-Q).
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Why company ownership matters after a burn
Black Rock’s FAQ says it does not offer franchises and that “All locations are company-owned” (Black Rock FAQ). At a franchised chain, the first fight is often over which company ran the store. At Black Rock, the baristas, the managers and the training all belong to one company. The incident report and store video are in that company’s hands.
What Black Rock serves hot
The product Black Rock calls a major growth driver is cold. The 10-K says its Fuel energy drinks come in iced and frozen formats and made up about 24% of revenue in 2025. The coffee menu still centers on espresso drinks the company lists as Lattes, Americanos and Cappuccinos, plus signature drinks such as the Mexican Mocha (Form 10-K).
The website menu lists these hot drinks:
- Coffee & Espresso lists Drip Coffee, Americano, Breve, Latte, Mocha and White Mocha (menu).
- Tea lists Hot Tea (menu).
- Lil Rockers, a separate menu section, lists Hot Chocolate and a Hot Steamer (menu).
Neither the 10-K, the 10-Q nor the Black Rock web pages we read state how hot the company serves its drinks. For a general benchmark, Brown and Diller wrote in the journal Burns in 2008 that hot beverages are frequently served between 160 and 185°F (Brown and Diller, 2008), which is hotter than the top row of the ABA table below. The American Burn Association’s table, based on the Moritz and Henriques studies of adult skin, shows how short the contact needs to be (ABA scald guide):
| Liquid temperature | Time to a third-degree burn (ABA) |
|---|---|
| 155°F | 1 second |
| 148°F | 2 seconds |
| 140°F | 5 seconds |
| 133°F | 15 seconds |
| 127°F | 1 minute |
Reported Black Rock burn cases
We found no reported burn lawsuit, verdict or settlement involving Black Rock in the court records and news we reviewed. In its SEC filings the company says it “is subject to various legal actions in the ordinary course of business” and believes none of the pending or threatened matters will have a material adverse effect on its finances (Form 10-K; Form 10-Q). The filings do not describe any burn or injury case. For reported coffee burn cases at other chains, see our Starbucks page.
Drive-thru window or lobby counter
Most Black Rock stores have both, and the setting changes the evidence. At the window, the lane camera and the order time fix the moment. In a lobby, a spill can also involve a wet floor, which brings in the rules for keeping the premises safe. See our drive-thru burns and 7 Brew pages.
Burn care where Black Rock operates
The American Burn Association lists one verified burn center in Washington, the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. In Texas it lists six, including the Parkland Burn Center in Dallas and the U.S. Army Burn Center in San Antonio, and California has nine (ABA directory). Our burn center directory lists them all.
Children, shared fault and Washington rules
| State | Minors | Your share of fault |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | Clock paused until 18 (RCW 4.16.190) | Reduces recovery, no cutoff (RCW 4.22.005) |
| Texas | Clock paused until 18 (CPRC § 16.001) | Barred above 50% (CPRC § 33.001) |
| California | Clock paused until 18, except claims against public entities (CCP § 352) | Reduces recovery, no cutoff (Li v. Yellow Cab) |
Washington courts generally do not allow punitive damages without express authorization from the legislature (Dailey v. North Coast Life, 1996), so a Washington burn case is about compensatory damages. And if a cup or lid failed, Washington’s Product Liability Act covers design and warning claims against the manufacturer (RCW 7.72.030). See our Washington and Texas pages. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou.
Related pages
Burn injury lawyer · Drive-thru burns · Starbucks burns · 7 Brew burns · Washington burn injury lawyer · Texas burn injury lawyer · Burn centers
Talk to a burn injury lawyer
If you were burned at a Black Rock window or lobby counter, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959. Having us review it costs nothing, and we work in English and Spanish. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Common questions
Can I sue Black Rock Coffee Bar for a burn?
Yes, when the evidence shows the store’s handling of the drink or a defective cup or lid caused the burn. The claim runs against Black Rock itself in most cases, since the company says all locations are company-owned, and the maker of a cup or lid that failed can be added.
How much is a Black Rock Coffee Bar burn lawsuit worth?
It depends on how deep the burn was and what treatment it needed, such as burn center care or skin grafts. We found no reported verdict or settlement in a burn case against Black Rock, so there is no Black Rock result to compare.
How long do I have to sue Black Rock Coffee Bar?
Three years in Washington (RCW 4.16.080), two years in Texas (CPRC § 16.003) and two years in California (CCP § 335.1), with the clock paused for a child until 18. Store video can be lost much sooner.
Can I get punitive damages for a Washington coffee burn?
Generally no. Washington courts do not allow punitive damages unless a statute authorizes them.
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Related pages
Sources
- Black Rock Coffee Bar, Inc., Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, filed March 4, 2026 (founding, 181 stores in seven states, store (sec.gov)
- Black Rock Coffee Bar, Inc., Form 10-K store chart image (stores by state, Dec. 31, 2025) (sec.gov)
- Black Rock Coffee Bar, Inc., Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 (200 stores, IPO, about 75% with lobbies, leg (sec.gov)
- Black Rock Coffee Bar, FAQ ("All locations are company-owned") (br.coffee)
- Black Rock Coffee Bar, menu, Coffee & Espresso (br.coffee)
- Black Rock Coffee Bar, menu, Tea (br.coffee)
- Black Rock Coffee Bar, menu, Lil Rockers (br.coffee)
- Brown and Diller, Burns (2008) (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- American Burn Association scald guide (Moritz and Henriques table) (childburn.org)
- American Burn Association, burn center referral guidelines (ameriburn.org)
- American Burn Association, Find a Burn Center (ameriburn.org)
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine), Burns (medlineplus.gov)
- MedlinePlus en español, Quemaduras (medlineplus.gov)
- UW Medicine Regional Burn Center at Harborview (nwrbms.uw.edu)
- Parkland Burn Center, Dallas (parklandhealth.org)
- USAISR Burn Center, San Antonio (usaisr.health.mil)
- RCW 4.16.080 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 4.16.190 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 4.22.005 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 7.72.030 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- Dailey v. North Coast Life Ins. Co., 129 Wn.2d 572 (1996) (law.justia.com)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 352 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) (scocal.stanford.edu)
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.