WASHINGTON — Plans to open the biggest Starbucks yet are underway in Chicago.
The third U.S. (and sixth international) location for its Reserve Roastery coffee shop concept is set to open in 2019 on the city’s famed “Magnificent Mile” (aka North Michigan Avenue).
The 43,000-square-foot space “will be a fully sensorial coffee environment” dedicated to roasting, brewing and packaging rare small-batch coffees, Starbucks said. It will also feature fresh baking on site, courtesy of Italian baker Rocco Princi.
The four-story site, which is located in a high-end retail district, is the former location of a Crate & Barrel and would be Starbucks’ biggest store yet.
“Chicago’s ‘Magnificent Mile’ brings in millions of visitors from across this globe and is the perfect location for a world-class coffee destination,” said the city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel.
Last year, Starbucks confirmed its plans to open 20 to 30 Reserve Roastery locations globally in the coming years.
Starbucks opened its first such location in Seattle in December 2014; its second U.S. location is set to open in New York next year.
