This New Starbucks Roastery Is Basically the Disney World of Coffee

Starbucks has plans to go from “grande” to “trenta” for their new upscale location on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The Seattle-based coffee company announced their plan to open an interactive 43,000-square-foot, four-story Roastery in the windy city. The location should be up and running by 2019.

“Having opened our first Starbucks store in Chicago nearly 30 years ago, our first outside of Seattle, this is a very special city for me,” says Howard Schultz, Starbucks executive chairman, in a statement. “At the time, it was a true test for Starbucks because the Chicago customer is so savvy and discerning about their coffee.”

How is a Starbucks Roastery different from a traditional Starbucks coffee shop? For one, it’s got a different menu: The Roastery offers specialty beverages inspired by cocktails, has artisinal food prepared in-house created by Italian baker Rocco Princi, and roasts small batches of coffee.

It’s also a lot larger. That’s because it’s where all the small-batch Starbucks Reserve coffees from around the world are made and packaged.

As of now, Starbucks only has one functioning Roastery in Seattle, Washington — this branch opened its doors in the tail end of 2014 and has been successful for the coffee giant. A second Roastery is slated to open in 2018 in New York City, where Starbucks coffee shops are conveniently located seemingly on every other block, with the third location being Chicago.

If the Chicago Roastery will be anything like Seattle’s, then fans are in for a treat. The establishment will show the entire coffee-making process from unroasted beans to the dark brew in a mug.

The company also has plans to take the Roastery concept international. A Shanghai-based Roastery is opening at the end of this year, and two more (one in Milan and one in Tokyo) are expected to open in 2018.