Overview

• Luckin Coffee opened its first two U.S. stores on June 30 at 755 Broadway in Greenwich Village and 800 6th Avenue in Chelsea.
• Both Manhattan locations rely on a mobile-first, cashier-less ordering system that may require in-person payment options under New York’s cashless business ban.
• To drive trial, the chain is offering 99-cent debut drinks through its app plus free tote bags for early customers.
• The Xiamen-based company has grown to more than 22,000 outlets in China and dozens in Singapore by offering prices about 30% below Starbucks in its home market.
• The chain is challenging Starbucks’s U.S. hegemony by testing whether its tech-driven, low-cost approach can win over American consumers.