San Francisco's Philz Coffee continues to pick up steam as it expands locations throughout the Bay Area, following a round of funding (to the tune of $15 million) that will launch operations nationwide. Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood is the recipient of the newest location of the local coffee chain, as part of the new (and somewhat controversial) Safeway complex on College Ave. And though local NIMBYs voiced concern over the addition of chain to an adequately caffeinated neighborhood that is already home to Cole Coffee and Starbucks, the soft-opening party on April 1 was met with long lines. Founder Phil Haber was on hand to shake hands, kiss babies and take selfies with the crowd of caffeine junkies as they waited for free cups of coffee.
And, on the heels of their College Ave store opening comes the news that Philz plans to open a location in the bustling streets of the Financial District. Hoodline reports that the new location will open just around the corner from the Philz Coffee truck that has been attracting consistently long lines and a bevy of regulars at their semi-permanent location on Sansome for the past few months. The new brick-and-mortar retail store will be located at 1 Front St., and plans to cater to those working East Coast hours, open from 5 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Right now the projected opening date is mid-late May.
Meanwhile, Blue Bottle Coffee also appears to harbor expansion plans, with a possible fifth retail location in the works on Fillmore. The New Fillmore reports that real estate sources claim that CEO James Freeman has purchased the two retail spaces that formerly housed Tully's Coffee and the Juicy News magazine shop at the corner of Fillmore and Jackson. In a statement from Blue Bottle's publicity firm, Freeman confirms that though he hopes to open in that location and has admired the building for many years, "there are a surprising amount of steps that need to take place in order to make it a reality." Stay tuned for more details on if and when the new café becomes a reality.