Starbucks 1st Reserve Store Opens with Princi Bakery & Mixology Bar

Today, Starbucks Coffee Company opened its first Reserve store – in its Seattle headquarters – a new store format from the company’s Siren Retail business dedicated to its premium Reserve brand. This new location compliments Starbucks suite of premium store formats already open, anchored by the company’s Reserve Roasteries, which bring to life the theater of coffee roasting, brewing and packaging for customers. Siren Retail also includes Starbucks Reserve bar locations and Princi bakeries, each of which uniquely tell the story of Starbucks small-lot Reserve coffees, provide freshly-baked Princi food and offer mixology for the evening daypart.

The Reserve store is open to the public on the main floor of the building that houses Starbucks headquarters in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle. There, customers will experience the full beverage menu available at the Seattle Reserve Roastery, but with a few new items including Nitro Draft Latte and Spiced Ginger Cold Brew on tap as well as new espresso drinks such as the Bianco Mocha. The Princi menu offers items such as cornetti, brioche, Pizza Mozzarella di Bufala, focaccia sandwiches, and the space includes a full mixology bar serving traditional Italian Aperitivo, aromatic Italian cocktails such as Aperol Spritz, Milano Torino and Negroni Sbagliato, for afternoon and evening customers.

“Today marks another significant milestone as we have taken everything we have learned from our highly successful Roasteries, the relevancy of the third place and the overwhelming reception of freshly baked Princi food to an environment that will re-define customer connection and continue to serve as a halo to the rest of the business,” says Howard Schultz, executive chairman, Starbucks Coffee.

Designed in an open, marketplace style, customers can engage with and order from partners (employees) at the Princi counter or Reserve coffee bar, then gather with family and friends at community tables or lounge areas around two fireplaces. On view is the Princi kitchen where customers can see breads and pastries being made and fresh ingredients prepared daily.

“While our Roasteries are designed to be bold, educational environments, our Reserve store takes the best of coffee craft as well as artisan baking and layers in a marketplace-style customer experience creating a space that has both energy and moments of intimacy,” says Liz Muller, senior vice president, creative, global design & innovation, Starbucks Coffee.

This Reserve store format was first introduced at Starbucks Investor Day conference in December 2016, as part of the overall premium store segmentation that would be developed globally, over time. Starbucks plans to open 20-30 Roasteries and up to 1,000 Reserve store locations worldwide as part of its ongoing investment in bringing a suite of premium store experiences to customers. The company also stated that 20% of its store portfolio would become Starbucks Reserve bar locations. Since then, Starbucks opened its first international Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, launched the first Princi location in the United States inside its Seattle Reserve Roastery and opened dozens of Reserve bar locations around the world.

The company has also announced that it will be bringing stand-alone Princi stores to Seattle, Chicago and New York and plans to open Roasteries in Milan and New York later this year in addition to Tokyo and Chicago in, 2019.

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