Starbucks Reserve Roastery arrives in New York

New York’s Meatpacking District continues to attract the biggest names, all of which are prepared to pour money into constructing outposts that are destinations in their own right. And last week, Starbucks became the latest brand to do so, with North America’s second ‘Reserve Roastery’ welcoming its first customers.

Like the Milan branch, that opened in the autumn, this is a store that is designed both to impress and to ensure that prolonged dwelltimes are part of the proposition. To this end, the 23,000 sq ft ‘store’ has two levels, an extensive ground floor with a Princi Bakery, a coffee roasting area and two coffee bars, while on the upper mezzanine level there is an ‘Arriviamo craft cocktail bar’. This translates as a ritzy looking space in which to enjoy, among other things, tea-infused alcoholic drinks. It is a first for Starbucks.

The blueprint for the Roastery format was established at the original Seattle store in 2014 and since then Milan and Shanghai have become Starbucks Reserve Roastery locations. In fairness, these are a world away from a standard Starbucks and are about being standard-bearers for the brand as much as places in which to order a caffeine-laced warm (normally) beverage.

Source: newstore.co.uk