Starbucks Corp. debuted delivery service Tuesday for tenants at the Empire State Building in New York City.
The pilot program, announced earlier this year, uses Starbucks baristas to deliver food and beverages to building tenants, who place orders on a dedicated website, a Starbucks spokesperson told Nation’s Restaurant News.
The Empire State Building provides a good test of urban delivery, the company said.
“New York City has always inspired us to consider new ways to innovate for our growing store portfolio, and I cannot think of a better location to launch one of the most frequently requested services,” said Cliff Burrows, group president for the United States and the Americas. “With Starbucks Green Apron Delivery, we’ve simply moved that moment of connection between our customer and the barista from our place to theirs.”
Starting Nov. 1, Starbucks will impose a flat delivery fee of $2 per order.
“There is no minimum order required for delivery, but there is a maximum order of 15 items per the $2 delivery fee,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in an email. “Our partners (Starbucks baristas) are discouraged from accepting cash tips. We will add digital tipping to the website soon, but tipping at any Starbucks location is always optional.”
Customers can customize their orders and provide delivery instructions through the website, she said. Orders will be prepared at the commissary and delivered to customers within 30 minutes.
The Empire State Building houses about 12,000 workers.
Starbucks said the service is part of its plan to make its offerings increasingly convenient to consumers. The company recently rolled out mobile ordering nationwide.
The company has also indicated that it will roll out delivery with Postmates in its home city of Seattle.
The Starbucks Green Apron Delivery kitchen is on the 33rd Street lobby of the Empire State Building, the company said.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless