Starbucks To Open Its Largest Reserve Roastery In Chicago On Friday

Starbucks is set to open its largest reserve roastery, a specialty cafe, in Chicago on Friday.

The four-story, 43,000 square-foot coffee house will open its doors to the public at 9.am. local time (10 a.m. EST) on Friday at Michigan Avenue street. It is officially the largest in the world.

The Starbucks chain originally announced its plans of opening the reserve roastery and tasting room in Chicago back in 2017, describing the city as “an incredible space to match the unprecedented coffee experience our premium Roastery will offer.”

"This roaster is a representation of the relationship Starbucks has had with the city of Chicago," said Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson. "Chicago has been a market where we innovate and try new things," he added.

Starbucks says the new roastery will feature an immersive experience dedicated to roasting and brewing small-batch Starbucks Reserve coffee from around the world. Chicago's roaster will be the largest of a limited number of specialty cafes around the world that offer an immersive and sensory experience from bean to cup to its customers.

Each floor offers customers various experiences such as watching the roasting process on the first floor whereas, the second floor will provide fresh breads, pastries, sandwiches and more. The third floor consists of seven different brewing methods for the caffeinated beverage, and a special Chicago-inspired coffee cocktail is presented on the fourth.

"You see the pipes that shoot the beans from floor to floor; the interior, the colors, the lighting," said Shauna McKenzie-Lee, general manager of the Chicago roastery.

The floors of the building are covered with artworks of local artists.

"This is one of the most beautiful architectural spaces I have ever been in and it's right here in Chicago now, and I get to be part of that aesthetic story and it's, like, historic," said Molly Z, a Chicago-based public and community artist.

“Having opened our first Starbucks store in Chicago nearly 30 years ago, our first outside of Seattle, this is a very special city for me,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman.