Luckin Coffee’s U.S. Strategy: Less Seating, More Speed, and Inventive Menus
The Chinese chain enters the U.S. market with fruit-forward cold brews and a digital-first café model, offering a bold contrast to Starbucks’ traditional approach.
Chinese coffee giant Luckin Coffee has officially launched in the United States, opening two compact stores in Manhattan this week and signaling a new phase of global ambition. Unlike traditional cafés, Luckin is betting on speed, convenience, and bold flavors to attract American consumers — starting with a blood orange cold brew and jasmine-infused coffee.
Inside the midtown store, customer Sam Liu took a sip of her jasmine cold brew, visibly surprised. “I’ve never tried anything like it,” she said. “I thought I’d order at the counter, but everyone was standing around staring at their phones.” Like all Luckin stores, the new Manhattan locations operate solely through a mobile app, with no in-person ordering at the counter and only minimal seating — just three tables.
Founded in Xiamen, China in 2017, Luckin Coffee now operates over 24,000 outlets across Asia, making it the largest coffee chain in China by store count — with more than double the number of Starbucks locations there. The two New York stores represent Luckin’s first venture beyond Asia, positioning the brand in the world’s most competitive coffee market.
CEO Guo Jinyi called the U.S. “a strategically important market,” stating in a launch announcement: “We are excited to introduce a diverse and unique coffee experience to American consumers.” While the company has not disclosed future expansion plans, its entry into New York suggests broader ambitions.
Luckin’s success in China has been driven by its mobile-only ordering system and a menu packed with innovative drinks, such as coconut cloud lattes, fruit-flavored brews, and even alcohol-infused coffee. This combination of tech-forward service and product innovation has enabled it to scale rapidly, optimize delivery logistics, and personalize customer engagement.
John Zolidis, founder of Quo Vadis Capital and a retail analyst who follows both Starbucks and Luckin, explained: “Luckin has developed an incredible muscle for product innovation. They’re extremely creative with their menu, and that helps them stand out in saturated markets.” He added that the key to Luckin’s success in the U.S. will be whether these non-traditional drinks — like blood orange cold brew and coconut lattes — resonate with American palates.
Despite facing significant challenges in the past, including a high-profile accounting scandal that led to its delisting from Nasdaq in 2020 and a U.S. bankruptcy filing in 2021, Luckin has rebounded impressively. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2022 and reported $4.7 billion in global revenue in 2024, a 38.4% year-over-year increase.
Meanwhile, Starbucks is facing turbulence on both domestic and international fronts. In fiscal year 2024, same-store sales in the U.S. dropped 2%, while sales in China fell 8%. The company reported in April that its quarterly profit had dropped by half compared to the previous year. CEO Laxman Narasimhan admitted in June that the company had “veered away from owning the idea of the ‘third place’” — a term Starbucks has long used to define its in-store café experience as a welcoming space between home and work.
In contrast, Luckin is taking a lean, low-cost approach: small locations, no cashiers, minimal seating, and app-based transactions. In China, this strategy has positioned Luckin as “the everyman’s coffee,” offering affordable prices and fast service, appealing to urban professionals and students alike.
Some American consumers are already embracing the model. Samantha Coy, who previously lived in China, said she traveled from New Jersey to visit the midtown location. “I’m surprised Starbucks hasn’t brought drinks like this to the U.S.,” she said while holding a fruit-flavored latte. “I hope Luckin stays.”
Analyst Zolidis believes the brand has a real shot at carving out space in the American market. “They’ve scaled faster than anyone expected in China and built a strong financial model. They wouldn’t be entering the U.S. unless they believed they could capture a piece of this highly competitive market.”
As Luckin quietly sets up shop in the land of Starbucks, its success will depend on more than novelty drinks. The company is wagering that Americans — especially urban, mobile-first consumers — are ready for a faster, smarter, and more adventurous coffee experience.
