Starbucks coming to Avenue J

By Robyn Beyda School News Editor

A new Starbucks will be opening on the southeast corner of East 16th and Avenue J by September 2023, according to Rabbi Beyda.

The cafe will be located in what used to be Penny Lane, which was then converted to a Covid testing center, directly across Avenue J from 7-Eleven. Students will be allowed to grab coffee during lunch periods and on their way to school. As for breakfast and free periods, the same rules will apply to the Starbucks as to the other restaurants on Avenue J, meaning students won’t be allowed to leave the school building for Starbucks during those times.

The kashrut status of the new Starbucks location remains unclear, but Rabbi Beyda assumes that, like the other Starbucks in the area, the menu will consist of both kosher and nonkosher options. Students will be allowed to purchase only kosher foods and drinks.

Though Rabbi Beyda insists that the change won’t impact his go-to breakfast order at Chock-Full-O-Nuts a few stores away, the new Starbucks on the block is an exciting addition.

“I think it’s nice that we’ll have another good coffee option on Avenue J,” he stated. “Different people have different tastes, so it’s good to be able to suit their needs.”

Students seem to agree. Many feel that the Starbucks is long overdue. “There’s a

Starbucks on every corner in Manhattan, so it’s about time they built one here,” said junior Marsha Kairy. “Avenue J has sushi, pizza, pasta, smoothies. … I always felt like the one thing it was missing was a Starbucks.”

The other coffee shops on the block don’t seem to be worried about the new competitor hurting their business. Alex, Chock’s beloved manager, insisted that it was “no problem.” He said, “I’m not worried. Thank G-d I have customers, and I will still have customers.”

According to students, Crawford’s will still thrive. “I don’t think it will take away from Crawford’s. Starbucks definitely has better coffee, but Crawford’s is the only place where we can get stuff during free periods and breakfast, so that gives them an edge,” said Freshman Sophia Goldstein. She noted that many students already get their coffee from places other than Crawford’s.