Name: Luckin.
Age: Seven years old—it launched in October 2017.
Appearance: Over 20,000 locations and growing.
Locations doing what? Selling coffee. It’s a massive coffee chain.
Oh really? If it’s so big, why haven’t I heard of it? Because it started in China.
Isn’t China more famous for tea? True, but coffee has grown a lot since Starbucks arrived in 1999. Luckin surpassed Starbucks as China’s top coffee chain in 2023.
Fine, if Chinese people prefer Chinese coffee, that’s their choice. It’s a big world. Exactly—and Luckin knows it. That’s why it just opened two stores in New York City, right under Starbucks’ nose.
So it’s going global? Looks that way. “This is just the beginning,” Luckin posted on Instagram. “NYC, we’re here.”
But why pick Luckin over Starbucks? For a seamless tech-driven experience. Orders go through an app, there are no cashiers, and barely any seating—just grab your coffee and leave.
Is the coffee better? If you were a true coffee snob, you wouldn’t go to either.
But Starbucks has the caramel macchiato, the pumpkin spice latte… Luckin’s hits include the coconut latte, velvet latte, and apple fizzy americano.
Apple what? That’s apple juice, sparkling water, and coffee over ice.
How’s Starbucks fighting back? By closing some stores.
Interesting strategy—seems backward. They’re shutting about 90 mobile-order-only U.S. locations to focus on “community coffee shops” and a more personal touch.
So they’re doing the opposite of Luckin? Pretty much. They’re renovating stores and bringing back handwritten names on cups.
Warm and welcoming vs. zero human contact? Tough choice. If it helps, Luckin’s also slashing prices—offering $1.99 coffees in a city where $6 cappuccinos are normal.
Starbucks is finished. Not so fast. Luckin made $4.7 billion last year, but Starbucks pulled in $36.2 billion.
Still, impressive for a Chinese newcomer. Especially after a 2020 accounting scandal tanked its stock and forced U.S. bankruptcy. It bounced back in 2022 with new leadership and major private equity funding.
Do say: “One legendary handcrafted flat white, please.”
Don’t say: “Remember when vending machines were a thing?”
