“Everybody is trying to figure out what’s the next great or what’s the appropriate store format in this new digital age,” said Vince Sgabellone, a food service industry analyst with market-research firm NPD Group.
The less than 93-square-metre location is smaller than most Starbucks stores. It caters to customers who order ahead on the company’s mobile app and grab their beverage in-store. This new format “is designed to modernize and reimagine the customer experience in high-traffic, urban areas,” wrote Michael Conway, president of Starbucks Canada, in an email.The company has no specific plans to expand pickup stores in Canada, but this format “is designed for high-traffic urban areas,” he said.Chick-fil-A, which recently opened its second Canadian location, started testing two stores without a dining room or drive-thru in Nashville and Louisville in October 2018.
The company introduced its mobile app in 2010 and gave customers the ability to order online for in-store pick up in October 2015.That has given their customers time to get accustomed to ordering coffee digitally, said Gregoire. In recent years, ghost kitchens cropped up in Canada. These operations cook meals only for delivery — with no dining rooms or takeout options.Meanwhile, some coffeeshop owners got creative with space in order to be able to afford to operate in Toronto and Vancouver. Several tiny coffeeshops opened up in the cities, many with just a takeout window.
globebusiness Another way to cut costs by getting rid of the 'Baristas' and someone to clean the place plus no need for a rest room. At the same time coffees become $10 with less taste but young do not notice as the economy booms. Who cares of socialization as there are apps for hook-ups....
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