By: Arianna Dominici '25
In recent years, Blank Street Coffee has risen into the New York City scene as a mini cafe in Lower Manhattan. What isn’t as known is the apparent controversy in the rise of this quickly loved establishment.
Blank Street’s creators, Issam Freiha and Vinay Menda, are young entrepreneurs who looked to create a cafe that felt more intimate than big establishment coffee chains, like Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, while still upholding popularity in Manhattan. Blank Street Coffee, the product of their imagination, soon rose to stardom as its iconic mint green colored stores appeared in busy streets, ready to lure in passing commuters.
The most unexpected twist of Blank Street Coffee is that the owners do not claim that their coffee is the best, only the most accessible. Freiha even stated clearly in a New York Times Article that:
“We don’t need to be the most amazing cup of coffee you’ve ever had… we want to be the really good cup of coffee that you drink twice a day, every day” (Freiha, 2022).
Yet, this statement hasn’t proven to be admirable to all, as many coffee lovers lose interest in establishments that start becoming “mainstream.” I believed that the coffee was priced well for its quality, and there were no inherent issues with the service. However, since 2022, Blank Street has increased its prices and taken away its point system. Furthermore, Blank Street doesn’t always provide comfortable seating for customers to crack open a book or to enjoy their treat during a break, which has also raised some complaints.
In their defense, it is not mandatory for coffee shops to encourage customers to relax and hog seats, especially because they have to accommodate for many consumers, and some larger locations do now provide seating space.
Besides these debatable issues, many loyal customers still maintain that Blank Street is a friendly environment situated in convenient locations. We even have our own local Blank Street Coffee down the street from Notre Dame, providing us with another place to study and chat with friends after a long day.
Photos Courtesy of Nation's Restaurant News and Blank Street Coffee
Sources: TheNewYorkTimes.Com
Edited By: Catherine Polatidis '26 and Ms. Brilliant
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