Chinese Coffee Company Luckin Coffee Is Opening First American Cafe | Eater NY
"A popular Chinese coffee company will open its first American location at 755 Broadway at East Eighth Street in the East Village, though there is no opening date yet, as reported by EV Grieve. Founded in Beijing in 2017 and now based in Xiamen, the chain has more locations in China than Starbucks, with just over 24,000 stores in China, Singapore, and Malaysia. The cafes are known for operating what it describes as a "100 percent cashier-less environment," geared towards pickup and delivery orders as well as dine-in spaces. The menu includes lattes like the coconut, the Velvet (made with thick Hokkaido milk), and the Little Butter (made with French butter); Americanos mixed with juices such as orange and fizzy apple; and other espresso-based drinks. The New York cafe is taking over what had been a Sunglass Hut store, and the company’s LinkedIn page indicates its American home base will be in Secaucus, New Jersey, where it is hiring; Eater has reached out for more information. The company went public on the Nasdaq in 2019 but was later revealed to have falsified its financials and was charged with fraud in 2020, paying a $180 million fine; in 2022 the company filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy and fired its previous executives." - Nadia Chaudhury
