24-Hour Starbucks Energizes Already Lively Times Square
A Starbucks in New York City draws in customers even at two a.m.
Located in Times Square, the coffee shop is one of just two Starbucks locations that are open 24 hours a day in the city.
While many people are trying to stay asleep, Starbucks regular Magaly Navarrete is trying to stay awake. The self-proclaimed coffee addict credits her cappuccino with keeping her alert during her nightly commute to Yonkers, a ride that typically takes between 30 minutes and one hour.
“It’s the only thing that might keep you awake—not 100 percent, but a little bit alert,” Navarrete said.
Many people laugh at the idea of an all-night coffee shop. Coffee is, after all, typically consumed in the morning, and medical professionals generally advise people to avoid drinking coffee in the evening, as it may interfere with their regular sleeping schedules.
Navarrete, however, thinks the shop’s nonstop hours fit right in with the rest of the city.
“If you go any other places where the life is more quieter, it’s crazy to have a 24-hour coffee shop open,” Navarrete said. “But in here, in the city, everybody is working, everybody is doing this and that, so it’s normal.”
Starbucks employee Dreen says the store attracts a handful of customers in the early morning hours.
“It’s like it is right now,” Dreen said, gesturing to the seven customers in the store. “That’s how it is at two in the morning.”
Navarrete thinks only Starbucks could have business at such a time.
“Starbucks, wherever you go, you can go to Yonkers, to Bronx, to Queens, and it’s the same quality,” Navarrete said. “But it’s not the same case with Dunkin’ Donuts or any other coffee shops. You ask for the same thing, but it’s not the same taste. That’s why I like to come here.”
Unlike Navarette, customer Monique Daniel, with her French vanilla dark roast coffee in hand at 11 p.m., does not usually drink coffee late at night.
“I just didn’t have any today since morning, so I needed to get my fix,” Daniel said.
Though she seldom relies on coffee to burn the midnight oil, Daniel also understands the appeal of a 24-hour coffee shop in the city.
“It’s not really a crazy idea,” she said. “It’s New York.”