331 N Street, NE at Florida Ave photo by R Sverd
Thanks to R. for the heads up: “new Starbucks on N St NE (Across Florida Ave from Trader Joe’s) is open today! They’re giving out free samples of the new Oleato latte (tasty!) and the staff was lovely.”
A look inside:
photos courtesy Starbucks
From an email:
“Today, beginning in Washington D.C., the Starbucks store experience will become even more accessible and inclusive for partners (employees), customers and communities. The company announced that moving forward, all new and renovated company-owned stores in the U.S. will begin to incorporate Starbucks new Inclusive Spaces Framework. The new design framework defines how Starbucks will help expand independence, choice and ease for all people across physical and digital spaces.
The first store to be built using the more inclusive design framework opens today in Washington, D.C.’s Union Market, (at 331 N Street, NE) providing an elevated store experience by creating a more accessible environment for all to enjoy. You can learn more about the partners at the Starbucks store at Union Market and take a virtual tour of the new cafe here.
Here’s what this means for customers:
An Updated Café Experience Is Coming: Moving forward, all new and renovated Starbucks stores in the U.S. will leverage the Inclusive Spaces Framework – a set of accessibility guidelines developed in partnership with Starbucks partners (employees), customers and accessibility experts – to better accommodate the various needs of the communities we serve.
Unique New Store Features: Some of the physical and digital features that Starbucks will begin to incorporate include:
Customer order status boards with visual updates when their order is ready
Optimized acoustics and lighting to reduce unwanted background noise and reverberation; minimize glare, shadows and backlighting that help enable better visual communication
Updated point-of-sale system, which now offers a portable design, an adjustable angle stand, an intuitive and customizable layout, voice assist, screen magnification, images of menu items, and visual order confirmation.
Accessible entrances, including power-operated doors with a longer vertical push button and generous clearances for entryways
Continuous, unobstructed pedestrian paths, including open sightlines and barrier free pathways through the store
Counters are lower with overhangs to accommodate wheelchair access and support better communication when picking up food and beverages
Custom D.C. Store Mural: Featured within Starbucks new store at Union Market is a custom mural designed by artist, Ryan Seslow, who has lived experience with disability and identifies as Deaf. In the mural, which spans a wall of the store, Seslow represents individuals with apparent disabilities through his work, including textural changes on the wall for both visual and tactile experiences. Within the store, a QR code is posited by the mural to learn about the work via a Braille plaque and/or audio recording.”