Start spreading the news! The Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store recently opened its doors to the public, welcoming a crowd of excited customers to explore three floors of one-of-a-kind coffee and food experiences.&nbsp;

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NEW YORK – The corner of 34th Street and 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan was bustling more than usual on the morning of November 16, as the new <a href="https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/esb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Reserve Empire State Buildin</a>g store celebrated its grand opening. Boasting 23,000 square feet across three floors, the store was quickly filled with customers – locals and visitors alike – who spent the day sampling innovative coffee drinks and beverage flights, brushing up on their skills with new hands-on workshops and purchasing exclusive merchandise to celebrate the newest Starbucks Reserve location to open in the city that never sleeps.&nbsp;

Here are some scenes from the opening week at the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store&nbsp;

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The night before the grand opening, Starbucks partners were delighted to welcome 15-time Grammy Award-winning artist and iconic New Yorker Alicia Keys to light up the Empire State Building in Starbucks green. A friend of Starbucks over the last 20 years – since Starbucks proudly sold her 2001 breakthrough album, Songs in A Minor – Starbucks stores around the world are also featuring a holiday playlist of original music and holiday classics handpicked by Alicia (see playlist <a href="https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/alicia-keys-christmas-party-takeover/pl.20fd48052f024c2eac11c84246f92892" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>) to celebrate the release of her first holiday album, Santa Baby.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Starbucks and Alicia Keys are also proud to partner on a special donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, offering coffee (for Bigs) and hot chocolate (for Littles) this holiday season.&nbsp;

The Empire State Building stood out against the famous NYC skyline in Starbucks green.&nbsp;

A Landmark Experience&nbsp;&nbsp;

On opening day, Starbucks Rewards members were among the first customers of the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Taya Stenson, managing director of the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store, welcomes customers to the store for the first time Wednesday morning.&nbsp;

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Starbucks partners stood at the ready throughout the store to welcome customers amid the opening day rush. In the kitchens, Chef Rocco Princi appeared alongside the team of bakers and commessas (Italian for “shop assistant”).&nbsp;&nbsp;

Princi is the exclusive food purveyor at Starbucks Reserve locations worldwide and the curated menus in the store include everything from traditional Princi bakery favorites, perfect for a coffee catch-up, to new and exclusive dishes served at the Level 2 Restaurant and Bar for dinner with family and friends.&nbsp;

Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by a colorful Starbucks Siren art installation designed by Brooklyn-based artist Jade Purple Brown.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Siren art installation stands next to the merchandise collection also designed by Jade Purple Brown, which includes apparel, drinkware, prints, and more.&nbsp;

The Main Bar is the heart of the Level 1 coffee experience, where baristas craft Starbucks Reserve specialty coffee beverages as well as seasonal favorites. On this floor, customers can wait in line to order directly from Starbucks partners carrying handheld devices or order on their phones.

The store will also serve and sell the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building Microblend, a coffee blend that honors the iconic Empire State Building and is roasted at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York located in the Meatpacking district. &nbsp;

Customers on the Concourse Floor can book a ticket for hands-on Starbucks Reserve Coffee Workshops offered throughout the day. Reservations can be made in advance <a href="https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/esb/bookexperiencetickets" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online</a> for workshops including Whiskey Barrel-Aged 101, Starbucks Reserve Brewtender for a Day, Espresso Martini Flight Fundamentals and Fun with Spirit-Free Spritzes. &nbsp;

For those looking to relax and recharge, customers can order drinks and food by scanning a QR code at their tables and selecting menu items. Orders will be delivered directly to their table.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As the afternoon becomes evening, the Starbucks Reserve Restaurant &amp; Bar opens for service, featuring a curated menu of Princi artisanal recipes developed by Starbucks Reserve chefs in Milan, New York, and Seattle. Customers start their meal with a complimentary “First Sip” Starbucks Reserve coffee tasting.&nbsp;

The restaurant also features a full bar with a menu of new and exclusive shareable cocktails – like the Big Apple Blossom and Empire Negroni – inspired by the spirit of New York City. The Starbucks Reserve Restaurant &amp; Bar takes reservations <a href="https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/esb/reservetable" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online</a> as well as walk-ins. The restaurant will expand into brunch and lunch service later in 2022. &nbsp;

The store recently opened its doors to the public, welcoming a crowd of excited customers to explore three floors of one-of-a-kind coffee experiences. 

Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building celebrates grand opening with local icons

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Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building celebrates grand opening with local icons and customer fanfare

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NEW YORK – It’s the “World’s Most Famous Building.” It’s an indelible part of New York’s skyline for nearly a century – where King Kong swatted at passing planes in the 1933 movie. It’s where Buddy visits his dad’s office in the movie, “Elf.” And Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks finally find each other in “Sleepless in Seattle.”

Perhaps there’s nothing that says New York more than the Empire State Building. It welcomes millions of visitors each year who take the elevator up to the iconic observation decks.

Starbucks has been a part of that history since 2008 when its first store opened in the Empire State Building. It was originally a café on 34th Street and later evolved with new innovative concepts, including one of the company’s first express stores, a delivery pilot in 2015 and one of the first mobile order and pickup locations in 2018. The new <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/new-starbucks-reserve-store-in-new-yorks-iconic-empire-state-building-unveiled/">Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building® store</a> pays homage to the heritage of the Empire State Building and <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/a-brief-history-of-starbucks-in-new-york/">Starbucks history in New York</a> with an extraordinary one-of-a-kind coffee destination that spans three floors and 23,000 square feet.

From the bustling sidewalk of Fifth Avenue, the Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building® store looks like it has been there since the beginning. You won’t see that familiar green Siren logo, but an Art Deco façade with the words “Starbucks Reserve” crafted in vintage aluminum lettering (it’s actually a custom font approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission). The Starbucks design team worked with Empire State Realty Trust (owner of the Empire State Building) to bring the store’s façade back to building standards, which included reclaiming the second-floor windows and rebuilding the decorative mullions and finials. Starbucks worked closely with the Empire State Building’s historic landmark preservation consultant, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, to consult on building exterior details to ensure compliance with landmarks preservation guidelines.

“We paid careful attention to protecting and revitalizing landmark pieces in direct and close consultation with the Empire State Building’s landmark consultant,” said Jill Enomoto, vice president of Starbucks Siren Retail Design. “We feel really proud to bring it back to its original beauty and intention.”

Take a spin through the historic revolving doors on Fifth Avenue, and the sounds of honking yellow taxis fade away with a whoosh as you enter the Empire State Building’s iconic Fifth Avenue Lobby. The soaring two-story Art Deco space recalls an era of grandeur and glamour, with stunning walls clad in terrazzo marble and the brilliantly restored ceiling hand-painted in 24-carat gold.

“In the Art Deco style, you see strong geometric patterns and applied ornamentation. It has that timeless, classic New York sensibility,” said John Nelson, senior store designer for Starbucks. “We have applied an artful interpretation of Art Deco in the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store. We nod to it with our color palette and patterns while also making it our own.”

Hanging in a glass case just outside the entrance to the store is the first of several bespoke art pieces by local artists – including an original paper sculpture by Brooklyn-based artist Jim Gaylord. The work features geometric patterns, scales that reference the Starbucks Siren, and natural elements like the sun, mountain slopes, roasting flames and the mighty coffee bean.&nbsp;

“The Empire State Building is a New York icon and its original construction is a testament to artistry,” said Lara Behnert, who leads the art program for Starbucks. “That’s why it was important to commission New York-based artists for all the store’s original artworks. The pieces are inspired, in different ways, by the Empire State Building’s spirit, Art Deco flourishes, the essence of Starbucks, and the origins and meaning of coffee.”

The store features three levels, each designed for connection and discovery. Visitors enter on Level One, which was designed to create a convenient experience for customers looking to grab coffee and Princi® food on-the-go, with a design that harkens back to the fast-paced mercantile traditions of Fifth Avenue. It has a muted earth-toned palette to allow for focus on the connections between the customers and partners, as well as thoughtfully curated merchandise featuring artist collaborations such as the Jade Purple Brown collection and other items exclusively available in this location. The store serves and sells Starbucks Reserve coffee, including the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building® Microblend roasted at the <a href="https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/new-york">Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York</a>. The menu features classic beverages like cappuccinos and lattes, as well as Starbucks Reserve signature beverages such as the Hazelnut Bianco Latte, Whiskey Barrel Aged Cold Brew and Nitro Almondmilk Mocha.

From Level One, an open staircase connects the Concourse below and Level Two above – with all three floors connected visually with a jewel-toned mural by Brooklyn-based artist Dana Tanamachi that showcases the contributions of women in coffee.

The Concourse level is dedicated to innovation and immersive coffee experiences with coffee workshops and guided tasting flights that are unique to this store. Visitors descending the staircase from street level immediately step through a portal with a digital art installation that transitions toward the Innovation Lounge and Experience Bar. The artwork immerses customers into coffee experiences with larger-than-life visuals of handcrafted beverages and vibrant animations of coffee storytelling, like microbubbles cascading over a scoop of gelato. The darker tones of this floor are complemented by gilded touches, like brass columns and fluted glassware. Flexible spaces can be closed off or combined to accommodate different-sized groups.

The show-stopping art piece for this level is a 25-foot hand-painted Starbucks Siren who almost appears to glide along the Concourse, a radiant symbol of optimism. The mural was designed by Brooklyn-based artist Marcos Chin, who created the gilded Siren in his striking style mixed with modernized Art Deco details.

Ascend the staircase two floors, or take the elevator, and you’ll reach Level Two, where the glittering full-service bar and restaurant are designed for customers to sit, relax, and stay for a while. Customers can enjoy food from Princi, including signature tasting boards and plates, entrees and favorites for brunch and lunch. To drink, Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building® Microblend is on the menu, along with signature and shareable coffee and tea cocktails from the mixology bar.

The space is layered with shades of sultry rich green, shimmering gold touches and a mural with a central gilded figure of a coffee farmer. The ceiling of this space has gold textured paint, echoing the hand-painted gold leaf ceiling from the historic lobby. Patterns dance throughout and an abstracted coffee origin landscape graces a private lounge at the back of the bar.&nbsp;These patterns were created by Seattle-based artist Gabe Armagost and combine elements of Starbucks, New York City and the Empire State Building.

While much of the focus for the design team was rebuilding the space and bringing landmark elements to life, they also peeled back some of the building’s layers to expose some of the original hand-riveted steel beams and a bit of its history. The Empire State Building was an engineering marvel in its day, with its steel frame the first to rise over 100 stories high, making it the world’s tallest building for nearly four decades. “Our store is one of the few places in the building where you can see one of the original splice plates up close,” Nelson said.

The store is a certified&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-greener-stores-accelerate-global-movement-towards-a-more-sustainable-future/">Greener Store</a>, designed for lower environmental impact that helps accelerate progress toward Starbucks goals to reduce carbon emissions, water usage and landfill waste by 50 percent by 2030.

Starbucks worked with New York-based West Elm to design and furnish many pieces in the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store.&nbsp;In some cases, West Elm co-designed the pieces, customizing West Elm seats and tables for Starbucks with rich and warm textures to maximize comfort.&nbsp;Other times, West Elm would work with Starbucks to manufacture a piece that was designed by Starbucks. &nbsp;

Designers worked to help customers both navigate and enjoy the physical store environment with inclusive design elements such as clear navigation routes, visual order status boards, and controlled acoustics. They also created accessible seating for all with a variety of seating options – from low lounge seating to counter height bar stools. A unified floor plan ensures that all levels are easy to navigate and are wheelchair accessible via a new passenger elevator.

“We had a lot of conversations about inclusive design, and love what we have done from an inclusivity and accessibility standpoint,” said Enomoto. “We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to this beautiful, iconic space.”

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Photos by Sarah Flotard, Matt Glac, Connor Surdi

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the one-of-a-kind coffee destination opening in New York’s Empire State Building.

New Starbucks Reserve store in NYC brings landmark coffee experience to Empire State Building

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