By: Lisa Wright*
Call it an espresso shot across the bow of the commuter coffee wars. Starbucks Canada launches its first express location in Union Station Wednesday morning, just in time for rush hour crowds in search of that Grande or Venti coffee fix from the world’s largest java chain.
“The express store takes what is best about our cafes and refines it for faster service for our on-the-go customers,” said Starbucks Canada president Rossann Williams, just as final inspections were being completed Tuesday.
Offering all-day breakfast sandwiches and pastries, the new outlet will go head-to-head with the new stand-alone McCafe that opened last December nearby in the newly renovated York St. concourse, along with a smaller Tim Hortons kiosk.
It’s all part of a big push to rejuvenate the established Starbucks brand and grab new customers in an industry that is struggling with flat coffee sales. To that end, Starbucks is set to launch its special tapas and wine menu at some Toronto locations along with drive-thru technology innovation, and it was recently first among its competitors to offer a mobile order and pay app on smart phones.
Meanwhile, Union Station is a high-traffic hub that is considered prime real estate for any business, particularly for on-the-go fast food restaurants, since the Toronto station sees about 250,000 commuters a day.
In a sneak peek, the new 400-square-foot, open-concept digs won’t have seating but instead features digital menu boards with the coffee behemoth’s most popular products such as brewed coffee, signature espresso and chilled beverages, sandwiches and croissants. An employee takes orders in the line before you get to the counter.
The idea is to cut standard wait times roughly in half and offer a more streamlined, “walk-through” experience than that of a typical Starbucks café, where customers are encouraged to linger over lattes with their laptops, said Williams.
“Express stores seamlessly integrate technology and efficiency into the customer experience, reducing the amount of time they need to stand in line,” she added.
The express store is actually the third in the Starbucks chain after opening two in New York — one on Wall Street and one in the Empire State Building — earlier last year.
While the Union Station McCafe is open 5 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, Starbucks at this point has set its hours of operation at 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
