Starbucks Now Delivers, But Only To One Building

The new location in the Empire State Building won’t make deliveries outside the building or even let tourists place orders at its location.

The company notes that it chose the Empire State Building to run its first tests of Green Apron because of its “bustling work environment” which features a large number of tenants.

Drage said the company will see how the pilot program in the Empire State Building goes before expanding it to other New York City buildings.

The coffee chain, which has already invested heavily into mobile ordering and pay as part of its efforts to build customer loyalty and drive extra customer visits, will now try delivering caffeine fixes straight to office workers in the iconic New York skyscraper.

Now you can enjoy a cup of coffee on the top floor of the Big Apple’s Empire State Building without having to trudge all the way down to the ground floor to pick it up. Orders are made with the customer’s reward account and are delivered within 30 minutes.

Earlier this year, the company said it would begin testing out delivery services in the second half of 2015.

This is a building-specific strategy to the delivery service the company announced it would test earlier this year.

For the Empire State Building, Starbucks said it is charging a flat $2 delivery fee which is the same whether people order a single latte or five Frappuccinos (orders are capped to 15 items). The Starbucks orders will be delivered to a business’s drop off location, such as a reception or common area where the customers will receive the delivery. The coffee giant is, however, waiving the delivery fee for the rest of this month.

It is expected that by the end of the year a pilot delivery program will also be established in Seattle, thanks to a partnership with Postmates. The app allows Starbucks devotees to order and pay ahead of time and proceed directly to the pickup counter to get their beverages and drinks.

Green Apron Delivery adds to Starbuck’s recent nationwide expansion of its mobile ordering platform, both of which add to the company’s growing commitment to convenience and quickness.

The new service introduced by Starbucks has been highly anticipated by those who don’t wish to waste precious time making trips to the coffee shop. Under the agreement, riders of the Lyft app can earn Starbucks points, or stars, that can be used to redeem food and beverages at Starbucks stores.