A new Starbucks in Japan has contactless ordering and workspaces that can be reserved in advance, and it shows how the coffee chain is adapting to keep up with remote work demands

Courtesy of Starbucks

• A new Starbucks storefront in Japan features several reservable workspaces where patrons can keep a distance from one another in their own partially-enclosed stations.
• This comes amid news of major companies continuing their remote work arrangement to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
• Photos of the new Tokyo location, which opened on July 30, look similar to co-working spaces like WeWork.
• The store was designed to serve teleworkers, featuring individual booths for independent workers and tables for group meetings and virtual conferences.
• Designed in collaboration with Think Labs, you can order drinks and reserve a workspace through various apps.

Starbucks has opened a new store in Tokyo with remote workers in mind. A statement released by the company said that it featured a "specially designed contactless hand-off counter."

Shutterstock

Source: Starbucks

You can pick up your drinks on the first floor of the new Tokyo storefront after placing your order on the Starbucks app.

Courtesy of Starbucks

Source: Starbucks

With the Think Lab app, you can reserve one of the store's working spaces on the second floor. Some are designed for individual use ...

Courtesy of Starbucks

Source: Starbucks

... while others are designed for teleconferences and working in groups. A spokesperson for Starbucks told Business Insider that the workspaces are sanitized after each use.

Courtesy of Starbucks

Source: Starbucks

Starbucks and Think Lab designed the Smart Lounge on the store's second floor to serve teleworkers with features like projectors, tables, and individual booths.

Courtesy of Starbucks

Source: Starbucks

The set-up is reminiscent of WeWork offices and other co-working spaces.

Courtesy of Starbucks

Source: Fast Company

WeWork is testing out a similar plan in New York locations that would allow non-members to reserve workspaces on-demand, The Real Deal reported earlier this month.

Reuters

Source: The Real Deal

Last year, WeWork tested a coffee shop office in New York's Flatiron district. Spearheaded by Soul Cycle co-founder Julie Rice, Made by We was meant to combine a co-working space with a coffee shop. The store opened in early 2019 and closed in May 2020.

Courtesy of Starbucks

Sources: Market Watch, 6sqft, The Real Deal