Starbucks opens first Reserve Bakery Cafe in ShanghaiStarbucks opens first Reserve Bakery Cafe in Shanghai

Starbucks has opened its first Reserve Bakery Café in Shanghai, which will offer made-to-order breakfast, lunch, and baked goods from Princi Bakery, along with weekend brunch. This new store format —  from the Shanghai Reserve Roastery that opened in 2017 — is the next step in the coffee chain’s strategy of category domination in China. 

The opening of this new store marks the addition of yet another concept in Starbucks’ growing portfolio of Reserve store formats, which also includes four Reserve Roasteries around the world, Reserve Store, currently with one location in Seattle; and the Reserve Bar, which serves Roastery coffee in pre-existing Starbucks locations, with 20 United States locations and 150 locations in China. 

The Reserve Bakery Café will have some overlap with the Roastery format: The new concept will offer a similar — albeit expanded — menu of coffee and tea cocktails crafted by mixologists along with the premium Starbucks Reserve coffees. The Shanghai Reserve Bakery Café will also host aperitivo experiences, or happy hour cocktails paired with a “free-flow” of small bites, a concept that can also be found at the Milan Reserve Roastery. Shanghai customers can choose to spend their aperitivo time indoors or on the outdoor patio. 

Related:Explainer: What is the Starbucks Reserve brand — and where is it going?

“Today marks yet another significant milestone as we take everything we have learned around coffee and our relentless pursuit for food innovation, to create a new exciting all-day cafe dining and Italian aperitivo experience,” said Belinda Wong, CEO of Starbucks China said in a press statement. “Our ability to consistently elevate the customer and brand experience in a meaningful and respectful manner truly reflects Starbucks unmatched energy and operational capabilities to execute against our purpose-driven growth agenda to play the long game in China.” 

Food is the centerpiece of this new store format, with an expanded menu of 100 different Princi bakery creations. Breakfast and lunch offerings include sandwiches made with Italian cold cuts like prosciutto cotto, baked eggs in purgatory, soups, pizzas, focaccia sandwiches, and salads like a chicken and artichoke with taggiasche olives menu item. Weekend brunch options will include frittatas and Portobello plates.

Starbucks did not respond to request for further details in time for publication.

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