Starbucks opens its first pickup-only store in Midtown
Photo by Eric Soltan for Starbucks
Last year, Starbucks opened a massive roastery in Chelsea with two coffee bars, a cocktail bar, and a bakery, inviting java drinkers to stay awhile. On Tuesday, the company will offer a different option for on-the-go customers in Manhattan with a new store that primarily accepts to-go orders from the Starbucks mobile app. Located in Penn Plaza at 242 West 34th Street above the busy transit hub, the Starbucks “pickup” store is the first of its kind.
The Seattle-based company designed the new Midtown store by first creating a prototype in Seattle. While the test-run saw a high number of orders, the baristas did not like it “due to constrained space and inability to connect with customers,” according to a press release, and changes were made to accommodate the Starbucks workers.
The revamped store is part of the company’s plan to improve customer experience in high-traffic city locations. According to Bloomberg, the store is roughly 1,000 square feet, compared to a typical store that measures 1,800 square feet.
“Our customers who are on-the-go have told us that connection and convenience are important to them,” Katie Young, the vice president of Urban Markets for Starbucks, said in a press release. “By designing a store specifically for the mobile order occasion, we can deliver both for these customers using the store’s design, location and the expertise of our baristas.”
Customers can use the mobile app to order and pay for orders at this location. Orders will be tracked at the Penn Plaza store via a digital status board and handed off by a barista. Although the store is designed to accept orders via the mobile app, workers will be on hand to take orders at the store, as well as allow for cash or credit payments.
Starting on Tuesday, the pickup store will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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