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Thousands flock to the world’s largest Starbucks on opening day
Nearly 10,000 people visited the world’s largest Starbucks on Friday’s opening day, according to an official tweet. More than 1,000 of those fans lined up in freezing temperatures before the doors opened for a first crack inside the mammoth new Reserve Roastery in the former longtime Crate & Barrel store at 646 N. Michigan Avenue. Many documented their experience on social media, some posing beside the 58-foot metal cask that shuttles coffee beans throughout the space.
Breaking News: Starbucks saw nearly 10,000 super fans come through our doors on day one. #starbucksreserve #chicagoroastery
— Starbucks News (@Starbucksnews) November 16, 2019
Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani plans to open at least 12 restaurants next year
Top Chef repeat contender Fabio Viviani plans to open at least a dozen restaurants in 2020, according to Crain’s. He currently runs 35 restaurants around the country, including his River North flagship Siena Tavern and luxe Loop steakhouse Prime & Provisions with DineAmic Hospitality. Those two restaurants alone reportedly take in $14 million in revenue annually, and Viviani currently manages 2,500 employees.
Gotham Greens launches the Midwest’s largest urban greenhouse in Pullman
Indoor greenhouse developer Gotham Greens has opened the Midwest’s largest urban agriculture “campus” in the Pullman Historic District, representatives wrote in an email. The new 100,000 square-foot greenhouse is entirely dependent on renewable electricity and uses 95 percent less water and 97 percent less land than traditional farming. The company currently operates six greenhouses in the U.S., including another 75,000 square-foot Chicago location on the roof of Method Products in Pullman.
City to demolish would-be West Town Cloud Kitchens site
And finally, construction crews will demolish the West Town warehouse that former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick once slated for a commercial delivery-only restaurant kitchen called Cloud Kitchens, Block Club reported. Vacant since 2016, the former carpet warehouse at 2041-2059 W. Race Street has several alleged building code violations. The company then shifted its attention to a North Center property, but those plans have stalled since the city denied a zoning change necessary to open a kitchen in the space.
