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Blank Street Coffee secures Philadelphia license for Rittenhouse store

Blank Street Coffee secures Philadelphia license for Rittenhouse store

Money Moves Philadelphia, PA local

New York chain's Rittenhouse store is serving customers; its Penn campus cafe opens before year's end

October 2026: University City store opening timeline set

Overview

Updated Oct 24

Blank Street Coffee's Rittenhouse store at 1801 Spruce Street is open in the corner Starbucks left empty a year ago. The city issued a food-service license for 30 or more seats on September 9, and the shop has curved banquettes, terrazzo tables and a window bar facing 18th Street.

A second store, a 3,500-square-foot cafe at 3603 Walnut Street near the Penn Bookstore, will open before the end of the year, marketing director Dibba Iran-Parasti told the Daily Pennsylvanian. It was still under construction in late September. Blank Street raised $105 million in August, valuing the chain at $650 million.

Why it matters

Blank Street now anchors the corner Starbucks left empty; its Penn campus cafe opens before year's end.

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Key Indicators

30+
Seats licensed at 1801 Spruce
City license class for food service with 30 or more seats.
2
Philadelphia locations
Rittenhouse store open; University City store opening before year's end.
100+
Chain-wide locations
Across U.S. cities and the U.K., per Hoodline.
$650M
Valuation after August round
Blank Street closed a $105 million funding round in late August, per Hoodline.

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People Involved

VM
Vinay Menda
Co-founder of Blank Street
Co-founder
 Issam Freiha
Issam Freiha
Co-founder of Blank Street
Co-founder
 Ignacio Llado
Ignacio Llado
Co-founder of Blank Street
Co-founder

Organizations Involved

Blank Street Coffee
Blank Street Coffee
Retail Coffee Chain
Operating 100-plus locations; Rittenhouse store open, University City store opening before year's end

New York-based coffee and matcha chain known for sage-green storefronts and specialty drinks.
City of Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections
City of Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections
Municipal agency
Issued the 1801 Spruce food-service license

Philadelphia agency that issues business licenses and conducts inspections for commercial operators.

Timeline

2020 October 2026

7 events Latest: October 2026
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. University City store opening timeline set

    Latest Development

    Blank Street marketing director Dibba Iran-Parasti says the 3603 Walnut Street cafe opens before the end of the year, per the Daily Pennsylvanian.

  2. Rittenhouse Ramblings confirms Blank Street serving customers

    Coverage

    Local outlet reports Blank Street is open at 1801 Spruce, with seating, a window bar and matcha service.

  3. Philadelphia issues Blank Street a food-service license

    License

    City records show a 30-plus-seat food-service license first issued for 1801 Spruce Street.

  4. Blank Street closes $105 million funding round

    Funding

    The chain raised $105 million in late August, pushing its valuation to $650 million, per Hoodline.

  5. Blank Street announces Philadelphia entry

    Announcement

    Blank Street announces a University City store at 3603 Walnut, one of its largest U.S. cafes.

  6. Starbucks leaves the 18th and Spruce corner

    Closure

    Starbucks closes its 1801 Spruce Street store after 11 years on the corner.

  7. Blank Street launches in Brooklyn

    Company launch

    Blank Street starts as a single battery-powered coffee cart in the Wythe Diner garden.

Scenarios

1

Blank Street's University City cafe opens at 3603 Walnut

Likely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: WhatNow Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Business Journal, which reported both stores slated for summer openings

Blank Street announced a 3,500-square-foot cafe on the University of Pennsylvania campus in March 2026, its largest U.S. store. As of late September it is still under construction. Opening it would complete the chain's two-store Philadelphia entry.

2

Blank Street adds a third Philadelphia location

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: The chain's rapid expansion since 2020, which has reached 100-plus locations across the U.S. and U.K.

If Philadelphia meets expectations, a third store would fit Blank Street's growth pattern. It would surface as a new city license, a lease report or a company announcement.

3

Blank Street's Rittenhouse store exits the corner

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2029

Discussed by: Not predicted by any cited source; a low-probability scenario given the corner's 11-year Starbucks run

Coffee shops change hands in cities, and this corner has already seen one chain leave. A closure would appear as a license lapse or a local news report.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1971

Starbucks' founding and global rise (1971)

Three partners opened the first Starbucks at Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971, selling whole-bean coffee. Howard Schultz joined in 1982, bought the company in 1987 and scaled it into a global chain.

Then

Schultz's 1987 purchase set off rapid U.S. expansion that reshaped how Americans bought coffee.

Now

Starbucks grew to tens of thousands of stores worldwide, becoming the anchor tenant of countless city corners.

Why this matters now

The chain that anchored 18th and Spruce for 11 years pulled out in 2025; the corner moved to a newer, faster-scaling coffee brand.

2017-2020

Luckin Coffee's rapid China buildout (2017-2020)

Luckin launched in China in 2017 and opened thousands of small, mobile-order-first coffee shops in under three years, going public on Nasdaq in 2019 and racing past Starbucks in China store count.

Then

In April 2020 Luckin admitted fabricating hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and was delisted from Nasdaq.

Now

It rebuilt and by 2023 had more stores in China than Starbucks, showing the small-store model's durability after scandal.

Why this matters now

Blank Street uses the same small-footprint, mobile-first playbook Luckin did, a model built for speed and scale.

Sources

(7)
+1
OpenDataPhilly Rittenhouse Ramblings WhatNow Philadelphia The Daily Pennsylvanian Hoodline The Hawk News Rittenhouse Ramblings