Starbucks, the coffee chain known for its sit-down-and-stay-awhile experience, is now giving customers a quick fix.
The Seattle-based coffee chain has opened its new express store at Toronto’s Union Station, which sees 250,000 commuters pass through its doors every day. The store is only the third of its kind in the world, following two New York locations that opened early last year.
“The café experience of sitting or connecting with friends or doing work and spending time in the café is still at the core of our business, but we also know that our customers have different needs as they move throughout the day,” said Madeleine Lowenborg-Frick, public affairs, Starbucks Canada. “So the express format is specifically designed for transit hubs… and Union Station is the country’s busiest transportation facility.”
The new 400-sq.-ft. store has no seating and the menu, which is featured on digital boards, is pared down to reduce wait times. (There’s no blender drinks, but you can get all-day breakfast sandwiches.) The store is designed to serve customers quickly, but without losing the personal touch. Customers are greeted by a Starbucks employee, who takes orders that are then sent electronically to the baristas.
“We really have the baristas at the heart of the experience,” said Lowenborg-Frick. “The [barista] bar is lower, the POS system is lower, and it’s very open concept at every point. The customer is still interacting with one of our baristas because we don’t want to take the personalization out of it.”
Retail consultant Ed Strapagiel said opening the Express format was a good move for Starbucks. “It seems to be against the grain of what they’re mostly known for, which is the sit-down experience… but the strongest thing about Starbucks is their brand. They have a reputation for a great product.
“People will go to Starbucks and line up for coffee, even if there’s no seating available. You also see [Starbucks coffee] in grocery stores. So, the key thing about Starbucks is not so much the retail format, although that’s part of it, but the strong branding. And that’s why they can experiment with alternate ways of delivering their brand to the coffee-drinking public.”
Lowenborg-Frick said there were no concrete plans for expansion, but the goal is to open more in other transit hubs in Canada.
