Amazon’s Second Bay Area Store Will Include a Café

Following its onward march towards total domination of everything everywhere, Amazon will open its second physical outpost in the Bay Area in Walnut Creek— an Amazon Books retail location will open 1259 Broadway Plaza with a café in tow. Though an official date for groundbreaking has not yet been set, SF Biz Journal reports that it can start on construction as soon as it receives a permit. [Update, 6/20/17: A representative for Broadway Plaza confirms that construction is underway, with an opening set for August.]

The update on the project follows last week’s news that the enormous e-commerce company is set to purchase Whole Foods for a whopping $13.7 billion dollars. Since then speculation on how that could affect Whole Foods’ shopping experience, employees, and more has continued to build, though the company says that the grocery chain will operate autonomously.

The retail sales and cafe space will occupy 4,572 square feet of the intended space, which measures 6,489 square feet in total; Walnut Creek assistant planner Ozzy Arce told the Biz Journal that the company plans to tear down the current facade for a more “contemporary” brick and glass exterior than at its other brick-and-mortar stores in places like New York, Seattle, and Portland. Customers will also be able to purchase books according to customer ratings, sales, and popularity on GoodReads just like on the Amazon website, as well as try out Amazon devices like tablets in-store.

So far there are no more details on the cafe, including whether it will be a unique entity operated by Amazon, or an outside purveyor like Starbucks or Peet’s Coffee. The whole shebang is dropping right into Walnut Creek’s posh shopping enclave that is home to retailers like Tiffany & Co., Tesla, and Neiman Marcus, and chain dining like Fleming’s Steakhouse, The Cheesecake Factory, and P.F. Chang’s.

Will food be delivered by drone? Will users order by app, or choose food and drink options based on user reviews? Eater has reached out for more information from the behemoth itself; stay tuned for more.

• Amazon Primed to Break ground on First East Bay Storefront [SF Biz Journal]
• Amazon to Buy Whole Foods for $13.7 Billion [E]