Midtown, New York, typically known for its chain restaurants and transient culture, is now home to Bustler – a homegrown self-serve coffee bar. The concept was developed by Pushcart Coffee co-owner, Jamie Rogers. Although not fully grab-and-go like food and drink vending machines in now-extinct automats, Bustler allows customers to pour their own brewed creation.
Offering assistance, an on-site barista is available to answer questions and explain selections from local vendors including Pushcart (headquartered at the Pfizer Building, 630 Flushing, Brooklyn), Hudson Valley Fresh milk, Kelvin Natural Slush (also at 630 Flushing), and blended teas.
“A recent comer to the New York coffee game, Pushcart Coffee has a pair of state-of-the-art cafes in Manhattan geared towards a somewhat mature, working creative class audience. They moved operations into the Pfizer building in October 2014…Since last year’s move, the company’s been ready to roast on a fluid-bed, 15-kilo Loring Merlin set up in their space on the building’s sixth floor. They’ve become a fixture in the buzzing food community…roasting, baking, and even furnishing an unmanned honor system coffee and pastry cart for the building’s many small businesses…” – Sprudge
Time Out explains the quick process at Bustler, “Sustainable beans sourced from Nicaragua, Guatemala and Colombia are ground for small-batch roasted espresso, dispensed in 30 seconds with the push of a button and customized with natural syrups like cardamom and caramel.”
Even checkout is orchestrated without needing to engage in conversation, “Color-coded cups indicate whether a beverage is coffee or tea (red) or a fancier espresso drink (cream), meaning the tablet-toting employees “automatically understand the amount owed without asking a guest to relay the order back.” Owner Jamie Rogers says this frees up staff to help customers decide what to get.” – Gothamist
