World's Largest Starbucks In Chicago

(RTTNews) - Coffee giant Starbucks Corp. is set to open the world's largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery on November 15 on Chicago's Magnificent Mile.

It will open in an interactive four-storey glass-clad building in 43,000 square feet space, employing about 200 people. The site at the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Erie Street was previously occupied by Crate & Barrel.

The Chicago roastery is the last and largest of the chain's grand coffee stores. It is the sixth Reserve Roastery in the world and the third in the U.S. after the one opened in the company's hometown of Seattle in December 2014 and in New York in December 2018. The international Reserve Roasteries are located in Milan, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Apart from serving a selection of the rarest, most extraordinary coffees, the store will also have a cocktail bar and a fully equipped kitchen operated by local Italian bakery Princi that will serve bread, desserts, pizza and salads.

The chain had opened its first Starbucks store outside of Seattle in Chicago nearly 30 years ago. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery, which is dubbed as "theatrical, experiential shrines to coffee passion," is completely different from a traditional Starbucks store. It offers multiple brewing methods, specialty Reserve beverages and innovative mixology.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery is meant to be upscale and offers cocktail bars, and bakeries. According to the company, a typical customer would spend four times more in the company's Roastery locations than in a traditional Starbucks.

A traditional Starbucks store averages around 1,800 square feet, while the Starbucks Reserve Roastery opening in Chicago is 43,000 square feet and the one in New York in 23,000 square feet.

The premium Starbucks Reserve brand is also available in Starbucks stores with the inclusion of Reserve experience bars at more than 1,500 Starbucks locations globally. The coffee chain currently has more than 14,000 stores in the U.S. and nearly 30,000 globally.