Starbucks Is Opening a New Location Next Week — And It Was Constructed with a 3D Printer The 1,400-square-foot 3D-printed location will only handle drive-thru and mobile orders.
By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- Starbucks is building its first 3D-printed store in Texas in partnership with PERI 3D Construction.
- The 3D-printed Starbucks location is opening this month.
Starbucks' first 3D-printed coffee shop is opening in Brownsville, Texas, next week.
The 1,400-square-foot building shell has been 3D-printed, meaning that a massive 3D printer mechanically piped layer after layer of a concrete mixture to build the complete exterior structure. The location will only handle drive-thru and mobile orders and is set to open on April 28.
A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing shows that the location cost nearly $1.2 million to build.
Starbucks told the Nation's Restaurant News that it was creating the shop in partnership with PERI 3D Construction, a company that has completed 15 projects in the U.S. and Europe since its founding in 2015. Past projects include an apartment building in Lünen, Germany, constructed in 2023, and a home for Habitat for Humanity in Tempe, Arizona, created in 2021.
Texas is no stranger to 3D-printed projects. Construction company Icon is finishing the final properties of a 3D-printed community of homes in Georgetown, Texas. The 1,500 to 2,000 square foot homes range from $450,000 to $600,000. Icon has reportedly sold a quarter of the 100 homes in the community so far.
Starbucks's entry into 3D-printed structures arrives as the company undergoes a turnaround plan. Since Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol took over the role in September 2024, Starbucks has implemented sweeping changes at its stores to turn around declining sales from cutting 30% of its menu in the U.S. by the end of the year and giving baristas strict time limits on how quickly orders should be fulfilled (in-store and drive-thru orders should be ready within four minutes).
Starting May 12, the coffeehouse is mandating a new, strict dress code for baristas at all stores consisting of khaki, black, or blue denim bottoms and a solid black shirt. Starbucks workers are also now required to add a personal touch to orders by writing down customer names with a Sharpie on cups.
Related: Starbucks' New CEO Can Make Up to $113 Million His First Year
Starbucks reported in its most recent earnings, for the first quarter of 2025, that U.S. same-store sales declined for the fourth consecutive quarter, falling by 4%. Foot traffic to U.S. Starbucks stores fell by 8% during the quarter. Global net revenue was $9.4 billion, flat year-over-year.
"To be clear, these results have room for improvement, but I'm confident the disciplined investments we're making in labor, marketing, technology, and stores this fiscal year will help stabilize the business and position Starbucks for future growth," Niccol stated on the January earnings call.
Starbucks is set to report its second-quarter earnings after market close on Tuesday, April 29.
Related: Starbucks CEO Tells Corporate Employees to 'Own Whether or Not This Place Grows'
