Starbucks Rolling Out ‘Starbucks Reserve’ And ‘Starbucks Express’ Locations In US

Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ:SBUX) is rolling out two new formats to meet customers' needs. The coffee giant on Friday announced plans to open “Starbucks Reserve,” a West Coast coffee tasting room, and “Starbucks Express,” a limited-menu format offering the chain's most popular items for on-the-go East Coasters.

Seattle (hone of the original Starbucks) residents will be the first to experience the interactive Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room, in December. The space, the first of at least 100 such stores to open internationally within the next five years, will serve as a retail, education and premium coffee roasting shop. The locale launch is expected to grow Starbucks Reserve Coffee brand’s presence worldwide.

“Everything we have created and learned about coffee has led us to this moment. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room is a multisensory experience that will transform the future of specialty coffee,” Howard Schulz, president and CEO of Starbucks, said in a statement. “We plan to take this super-premium experience to cities around the world, elevating the Starbucks experience not only through these stores but across our entire business.”

On the East Coast, New Yorkers will be treated to the first ever “Starbucks Express” in early 2015. The locations will provide a limited menu of Starbucks food and beverage options. Service will be expedited via a digital payment platform and a possible mobile ordering service. “The evolution of our store experience is a direct reflection of how our customers are interested in both accessibility to the brand as well as speed and convenience,” said Cliff Burrows, the group president of U.S., Americas, and Teavana, which controls Starbucks operations in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

Starbucks’ latest business venture follows the opening of its three-story Starbucks Reserve café in Bogota, Colombia, last month. According to the company's press release, the Latin America locale is estimated to garner more than $1.5 million in year-one sales.