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Crowds stood for hours in on the corner of Tyrwhitt and Cradock Avenues in Rosebank this morning, waiting for the first South African Starbucks to open its doors.
The international coffee chain announced last July that it would partner with Taste Holdings to bring the international coffee chain to South African consumers.
“We are very excited to be Starbucks partner in Southern Africa. As we’ve visited numerous Starbucks markets and partners around the world we’ve come to realise that we share similar core values, including a commitment to localisation and uplifting both direct and indirect partners,” Carlo Gonzaga, CEO of Taste, said at the time. The management group recently brought Dominoes Pizza to the country.
The doors of the brand-new restaurant opened at 7:30 a.m. this morning, serving a full menu of beverages and food. Customers – some of whom waited outside the store for 12 hours – could order coffees in “Tall”, “Grande”, or “Venti” sizes. A tall filter coffee costs R17, and a tall cappuccino costs R27. In addition to classic coffees, the Rosebank location offers some of Starbucks’ signature concoctions, including Frappuccinos and Refresha beverages.
Check out the full menu here. Beverage categories include brewed coffee, espresso beverages, chocolate beverages, tea, Frappuccino blended coffee, and Refresha beverages. Food offerings include sandwiches as well as pastries such as muffins, croissants, cakes, and cookies.
Every piece of furniture in the new store was hand-crafted by local artisans and much of the coffee served is sourced from other African countries. The store will also be one of the first to serve localised rooibos.
Starbucks is an American chain, founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971. Today, there are over 23,000 locations worldwide – about 10,000 of them international. The company has opened an average of two locations every day since 1987.
The company’s personalisation – baristas write your name on your cup – and commitment to social causes, including environmentalism and fair trade, helped skyrocket its popularity.
According to Taste Holdings, 12 to 15 more stores will open in South Africa over the next two years at a cost of R108 million. The next will open in the Mall of Africa later this month.
Check out our gallery of pictures from the new location:
