Starbucks Opens Its First Ever 3D-Printed Store – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks is set to open its first-ever 3D-printed store in Texas, a drive-thru location that resembles the future of construction. The 1,400-square-foot structure is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to modernize operations and trim costs. However, the cost of building a 3D-printed café may not be as cost-effective as it appears. Peri-3D, a German company, used a giant 3D printer to pump out layers of concrete mixture to create the structure. According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the cost for building the small scale coffee shop was about $1.2 million. Freshbooks estimates that building a restaurant from the ground up can cost up to $2 million. However, a smaller-scale quick-serve restaurant may cost less to build, with KRG Hospitality stating that it costs around $535 per square foot to build a quick-serve restaurant, which comes out to $749,000 for a 1,400-square-foot structure like the new Starbucks.

Builders say that the more they use the technology, the more efficient they are at it. In Georgetown, Texas, an entire community of 100 homes was recently built using 3D-printing. Stuart Miller, chairman and co-CEO of Lennar, said their costs and cycle time go down “by half” by adopting 3D-printing.

3D-printing is also much faster, meaning projects can be completed in a fraction of the time, potentially drastically cutting labor costs. According to the World Economic Forum, 3D-printing can cost just 30% of what building structures the old-fashioned way costs. As construction costs continue to rise due to inflation, rising operating costs, and tariffs, 3D-printing could become a time-slashing and cost-slashing way for establishments to expand.

Read More @ Fast Company