Starbucks latest lineup of Instagram-inspired beverages has turned heads — from its infamous Unicorn Frappuccino to the Ombre Pink Drink and even its darkly decadent Midnight Mint Mocha.
While the coffee giant’s traditional locations have been serving up these cups of whimsy, its Roastery and Reserve Bars are catering to a very different audience.
These “megastores,” at 4,000 square feet are twice the size of a typical Starbucks and are designed to offer small-batch roastings of “rare and exotic” Reserve coffees. The company’s flagship Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room opened in its home market of Seattle in 2014.
Starbucks uses its Roastery as test kitchens for drinks that are often later rolled out nationwide. Think, Nitro Cold Brew, the Smoked Butterscotch Latte and the Cascara Latte.
The Reserve Coffee Bars, of which there are about 30 in the U.S., are a combination of a traditional Starbucks store and the Seattle Roastery. They offer customers the full Starbucks menu with a few additional and unique items from the Roastery.
These locations are under the careful watch of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who stepped down from his post in April to focus on Starbucks’ Reserve Roastery-branded coffee bars. He remains the chain’s executive chairman.
The hope is that these locations will become destinations in their own right, rather than a place to stop while you’re at the mall. This is key to future growth as more consumers shop online and visit brick-and-mortar stores less often.
The company could open as many as 20 to 30 Roastery stores around the world. Currently, Starbucks is slated to open locations in New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and another in Europe in the next three years.
The company declined to comment on how these stores compare in terms of sales to its traditional Starbucks locations.
Here are just a few of the beverages that coffee connoisseurs willing to spend a bit more on their cup of Joe will get to taste at Starbucks Roastery and Reserve Bar locations.