Exploring the largest Starbucks in the world, in Shanghai
The lovely smell of cinnamon and fluffy bread filled the air. Hazy yellow lights illuminated the entirety of the shop, separating the cozy interior from the cold, dark outside. Chefs clad in comically tall hats strode about a kitchen behind a glass wall and produced fresh trays of muffins and baguettes, placing them in straw-woven baskets for display. The fragrance, the warmth, the mahogany pillars and ceilings, one could only say that Christmas was in the air.
In December of this year, Starbucks opened a 2700 square-meter brewhouse on Nanjing Xi Lu; it’s the company first reserve roastery outside of the U.S., as well as its largest branch in the world. With the extravagance, layout, and scale of this store, this was no regular trip to Starbucks. The “Starbucks Reserve Roastery,” as it insists on being called, felt like an amalgamation of a bakery, souvenir shop, and Willy Wonka factory – an experience that, though not perfect, duly stunned me with its quirks and atmosphere.
The greatest draw of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery is the magic of its design. What you first notice upon entering are the glass cylinders suspended from the ceiling, each stocked with coffee beans of various colors and shapes. These are connected to a massive bean silo at the back of the shop by auburn pipes, and beans periodically fly through those pipes from the main silo to fill each cylinder. Around the silo, workers in gray overalls carried bags and operated machinery, with the entire display intended to intrigue the customer in the process behind their coffee. Each corner of the shop featured its own unique quirk, like one mini-library tucked away on the second floor, or a section of slanted pillars that occasionally flowered into a flowing picture of vanilla vines. The charming and unpredictable designs that waited around every corner much gave the feel of Santa’s factory.
Customer service workers at the roastery were no less than champions. A waiter personally came up to individual customers to take their orders to alleviate the overcrowded line, and he smiled and explained the overhead pipe system to us when we told him we were a student newspaper. When the friend I travelled with went up to a counter and asked for “the most expensive, complex coffee you have,” the waitress calmly showed him the most expensive coffees and asked which he’d like. Such kind treatment by servers in Shanghai is rare, to say the least.
The main course of the evening, the drinks, was by no means disappointing. Not only were there the traditional Starbucks coffees, the entire second floor of the roastery was dedicated to teas. Coffee tea hybrids, traditional tea, carbonated tea with pearls at the bottom, a plethora of exquisite drinks were upstairs.
Now, there isn’t much to say in terms of food. It’s Starbucks. While there were new and interesting drinks, the food didn’t impress in the same way. We ordered the suggested item that night: a cheesecake. It tasted alright, but was disgustingly overpriced, with an 88 RMB price tag. Also, the selection of pizzas that they offered tasted no better than the reheated leftover variety.
While the sheer scale and design of the shop were its biggest draws, they were also in some ways the store’s weakness. Austin Liu (12A) said, “The place is so confusing, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do first … I could cry.” Clusters of incessant merchandise filled the central lobby, and various stations of coffee dotted upstairs and downstairs. Did each station serve different drinks? Where do I go if I want a black coffee? Such questions may plague a newcomer as he gets lost in the crowd of comfortable regulars.
All in all, though, the slick mahogany look and sleek countertops, the elegant machinery that wove around the walls and deposited beans into our cups, all made the entire place feel like a kid’s dream come true. If you don’t mind a hefty price, the Starbucks roastery is a unique experience. And though you shouldn’t expect the quiet intimacy of a regular Starbucks due to the size and number of frequenters, the appeasing smells and warmth in the air do no less of a good job at making one feel at home in this Starbucks roastery.
Featured Image – courtesy of Art Zhang