Princi, Starbucks' standalone bakery, to open in Chicago

Princi, Starbucks’ standalone bakery, to open in Chicago

Starbucks is bringing its standalone bakery, called Princi, to Chicago’s West Loop on Tuesday.

The company made the announcement Thursday during a tasting at Princi, 1000 W. Randolph St. The only other Princi location in the United States is in Seattle, with others in Milan and London.

The bakery gets its name from founder Rocco Princi, a baker. He opened the first Princi bakery in Milan in 1986. In 2016, Starbucks invested in the bakery, and now intends to open Princi bakeries all over the U.S. Offerings include cornetti, brioche, focaccia, pizzas and desserts.

The bakery will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Starbucks also plans to open the Chicago Reserve Roastery next year. The four-story, 43,000-square-foot space, billed as the world’s largest Starbucks, will replace the flagship Crate & Barrel store at 646 N. Michigan Ave.

“Starbucks has a lengthy history with the city of Chicago. In 1987, Starbucks opened the first store outside of the Pacific Northwest in Chicago. Since then, Starbucks has brought other innovative store formats to the city, such as Express Stores and the Community Store Program,” said a Starbucks spokesperson.