Upper West Siders will soon get three new places where we can satisfy our various indulgences.
1. Birch Coffee: A sustainability-minded coffee shop is set to open in about a week at 750 Columbus Avenue, at 97th street. Birch, which also has locations in the Flatiron district and the West Village, will deliver a 64-ounce jug of iced coffee to your apartment or office. The Times says that at the UWS location “chef Jehangir Mehta will consult on devising American small plates to accompany beer served on draft and by the bottle.” Birch has been preparing to open for a very long time. We first wrote about them in August.
2. Juice Generation: A new branch of the juice chain is set to open on Broadway between 85th and 86h street next to Jeffrey Stein Salon. The company promises to open “very soon.” Juice Generation has another location on 72nd street. Thanks to Angie for the tip and photo.
3. O O Wonder Frozen Yogurt: A new froyo spot is set to open in April at 250 Columbus Avenue, the former home of short-lived sandwich spot Paninoteca. From the photo on their twitter page (below), it appears to be another serve-yourself spot, a la 16 Handles.
Frozen yoghurt joints are becoming as ubiquitous as banks and pharmacies on the UWS!
Yet another frozen yogurt place??? How many of these do we have on the UWS?
I don’t understand how you can sell enough frozen yogurt across so many different UMS locations, pay the insane sidewalk level retail rents (and all the other operating costs) and make any return on your investment. What am I missing?
should read “…different UWS locations…”
Avi – we need a 10 minute editing tool!
Oh great. Just what this neighborhood needs…another froyo place.
“No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women
No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it’s dark
Everyone around me is a total stranger
Everyone avoids me like a cyclone ranger
That’s why I’m turning Japanese
I think I’m turning Japanese
I really think so”
Ken and Niki are right on the money. I certainly like bars and restaurants, but this whole coffee/juice/yogurt/wine bar thing is getting sooooooo boring.
There seems to be a new frozen yogurt store opening just about every other day on the Upper West Side.
I agree that there is a point at which you saturate the market.
A lot of the success of these places has to do with location. Yapple on Broadway between 70th and 71st has better yogurt and better prices than 16 Handles. I don’t see it making a go of it though because the location doesn’t get the foot traffic that 16 Handles gets on Amsterdam and 75th.
Whether you go to 16 Handles or Yapple or any other yogurt shop get a frequent buyer’s
card. Who knows if the place stays in business long enough you might actually qualify for a free yogurt.