Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf Nyc

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has returned to New York City; its new location is in Fort Greene, … [+] Brooklyn.

© 2018 TsaiHuaiYI

When Jollibee Foods, the Philippine-based fried chicken chain acquired The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for $350 million in July 2019, it gave a jolt to the chain that had been stagnant for some time in the U.S.

But Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is a force internationally with 1,080 stores in 27 countries. In the U.S. it has 218 stores, split between 128 company-owned and 90 franchised.

Back in 2013, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf was thriving in the New York metropolitan area with eight locations in Manhattan including one across from the busy Apple store in the Meatpacking district, two in the Garden State Plaza Mall in Westfield, N.J. and one in Trumbull, Conn. But all of them closed by October 2016.

Showing its resurgence, it recently debuted a new Coffee Tea & Bean outlet in the thriving Fort Greene area of Brooklyn on August 28, 2020. That opening marked its return to New York City.

Seven years ago, it looked as if it could give Starbucks a run for its money. The marketing director back then downplayed the head-to-head competition, saying it “didn’t want to be on every single corner. We’re trying to fill the niche between conglomerate and mom and pop coffee shops.”

Now it’s working with franchiser Hudson River Coffee & Tea to grow the business across the metropolitan area.

The pandemic, “has been a disruption in the market, but it’s allowed us time to pause and restructure and plan for the future,” explains Peter Vavra, director of franchise operations at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, based in Los Angeles

Over the next five to 10 years, it plans to expand its outlets in the U.S. to 500 units, says Vavra, a native of Sydney, Australia. It’ll concentrate on major metropolitan areas, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Miami and then reach across the U.S. It’ll continue opening company-owned and franchised outlets.

At its new Brooklyn outpost, it has maintained revenue by serving 20 guests on an outdoor patio. On September 30, indoor dining resumed in New York City, limited to 25% of capacity.

During the pandemic, the business flow changed. “We’re missing the commuter peak,” Vavra notes. “The coffee trends have shifted to different time periods.”

Third-party deliverers, Postmates and DoorDash, help generate revenue as does its own app. “People can order ahead and the order is ready to be picked up,” Vavra notes.

To ensure safety at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, guests use free sanitizer dispensers and disposable gloves, and employees are provided with cloth face coverings and encouraged to wash their hands frequently.

Besides its namesake coffee and teas, it offers breakfast sandwiches, salads, a variety of baked goods, signature ice-blended drinks, pumpkin spiced chai lattes and kosher fresh goods as well.

New York City is critical to its growth plans. “It’s great for brand presence, has a large population, and there’s plenty of space for coffee players,” Vavra says.

Asked what differentiates Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from competitors such as Starbuck’s, Gregorys Coffee, and Joe Coffee, Vavra replies, “We offer a genuine guest experience. We don’t have an intimidating environment. And we deliver consistently fresh coffee.”

It’s primed to expand in the New York metropolitan area. Another outpost is slated to open in downtown Brooklyn by the end of the year, supplemented by new outlets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J. planned for 2021.

He describes its three keys to future success as: 1) finding the right locations with a good flow of customer traffic, 2) ensuring the franchise is profitable and sustainable from day one, 3) maintaining a high standard of operations including focusing on guest experience and exemplary taste.

See also  Does Coffee Have More Caffeine Than Tea?