starbucks

That was fast! The Starbucks neighboring Macy’s Ala Moana has undergone a renovation and is ready for business. Looking at pictures taken by fellow caffeine addict, @yoda808, the renovation primarily appears to be cosmetic, but then again, the location wasn’t closed for that long, and it still is a tiny space so what can you really do? Not clearly discernible from the pictures is the lack of indoor seating. No longer do tables line the inside of the glass walls.

Structurally, things look the same although the drink pickup counter is nearer the middle, no longer at the end by the water pipe. Also, the pickup counter is flanked on each side by espresso machines (sadly not Clovers).

I can’t recall if the original layout had two espresso makers. If there were, the two machines were side by side, crowding the baristas. This new layout potentially provides a balanced piston action to fire out customer drinks. Hopefully this means shorter wait times in this popular pit stop.

Starbucks in Ala Moana is back at full strength with two locales at Hawaii’s largest shopping mall.

Now about the aesthetic redesign, here’s one opinion of the old but new look…

Today is March 27, 2014 and should mark the opening of the Starbucks kiosk at Ala Moana. But these are pictures from @yoda808 from yesterday, 3-26-2014.

After hearing about the future Starbucks kiosk at Ala Moana near Centre Court, I had to take a peek. This is the view from above on the third floor.

The kiosk is on the main floor of Ala Moana, technically level two. It’s not exactly where Aroma Caffe was, more towards Nordstrom, but it is huge for a “kiosk.” I’m guessing there will be outdoor seating but coverage from the sunlight would be needed. There may be some seating under the roofed area but can’t really tell yet as construction is on-going. And that nice black, shiny roof will be covered in bird poop soon enough.

I gotta say though, I love how Starbucks goes head-to-head with other coffee purveyors. Diagonally above this spot is the longtime Honolulu Coffee Company kiosk. If you’re seated in their outdoor seats, you have a clear view of this Starbucks. Coffee competition will get fierce starting on opening day of March 27.

If you have any pics of the progress, be sure to tweet them out using the hashtag #sbux327.

Fellow caffeine addict, Yoda808, spotted this sign at the Macy’s Starbucks location in Ala Moana (yes, that crowded one). A new Starbucks kiosk opening on March 27.

There was mention of another Starbucks in Ala Moana near centre court, but if you looked in the area, you saw no visible signs of its arrival. There was the construction of Aloha Gelato that I thought could be a Starbucks, but it actually was Aloha Gelato.

So in 10 days, a new Starbucks will have risen. Keep an eye out!

Just where will the new Starbucks location at Ala Moana be? The Sears location closed along with Sears, and the Macy’s location is usually slammed, so some relief is in order. According to the Ala Moana online map, there’s a Starbucks location on mall level 2 near center court.

But if you’ve happened to be in this area (the former location of Aroma Caffe), you know there’s absolutely nothing going on. But interestingly, on level 3 diagonally, there is work being done.

The same online map states that this is the home of Aloha Gelato. It very well could be, but this structure kinda has a Starbucks vibe to it. And Starbucks has the cash to completely reconstruct a space if needed, and it also has the moxie to go head to head with other coffee vendors (the Honolulu Coffee Company stand is directly across).