A New Starbucks Reserve Is Opening Inside The Empire State Building
New York City-based coffee enthusiasts and caffeinated tourists alike are in for an upgraded Starbucks experience thanks to the chain's latest Reserve Roastery location. The coffee juggernaut first launched the Starbucks Reserve Roastery concept in 2014, opening its first specialty roastery in the company's hometown of Seattle \, per Business Wire. Since then, Starbucks has launched five additional Reserve Roastery locations in Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Milan (via Starbucks). Now, it's expanding its sprawling cafe empire even further with its latest buzzy opening.
In a press release, the Seattle-based coffee chain announced the debut of a massive new Starbucks Reserve Roastery location located in the heart of one of New York City's most iconic landmarks, The Empire State Building. In addition to serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Refreshers to the approximately 4 million tourists who visit the Empire State Building each year, the 23,000-square foot cafe, which will span three floors of the famed 102-story building, will also offer a slate of unique culinary offerings and programming for the most passionate of Starbucks fans.
Starbucks opened its first New York City-based Reserve Roastery location, which is situated in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, in 2018. The original NYC roastery occupies a similarly expansive 23,000-square-foot space, featuring two coffee bars, a pastry counter, a takeaway counter for freshly roasted beans, and a cocktail bar serving espresso martini flights and other caffeinated adult beverages, reports Eater.
The Empire State Roastery will span 23,000 square feet of the iconic building
Per Statista the new Empire State Roastery — which adds to the estimated 240+ Starbucks locations in New York City — will also host a variety of small group classes on subjects like mixology, coffee grinding, and beverage crafting in addition to food pairings and tasting flights. And, in addition to offering Reserve-exclusive drinks like the Nitro Almondmilk Mocha and Whiskey Barrel Aged Cold Brew, the Empire State Building location will also be the first — and, for now, only — Starbucks location to offer the chain's new Cold Pressed Espresso, a sweeter, smoother espresso shot made using patented technology. Like the Chelsea location, the Empire State Reserve Roastery will also feature a cocktail bar offering coffee-infused cocktails to its adult visitors, reports Starbucks in a press release.
"The Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store will bring people together in this diverse and dynamic city over incredible coffee and food experiences that celebrate human connection, which is at the heart of the Starbucks Experience," said Mark Ring, the company's Senior Vice President of U.S. retail, in the press release. The Empire State Building Roastery will officially open to the public on November 16, just in time for the throngs of holiday tourists to get their Peppermint Mocha in style.