Several months ago we were approached by Godiva with an intriguing offer. The chocolate manufacturer was looking to make a splash with a brand new business concept that involved opening a cafe in New York’s Midtown East. The cafe concept would be the first of its kind in the U.S. and we were honored to be included on the project. In order to create the best experience for their customers, they even created a new pastry and trademarked it!
As a top architecture firm in New Jersey, WJCA has partnered alongside Godiva for close to a decade designing stores like the Dadeland Mall location as well as the International Market Place in Honolulu, HI. The 1,465-sq.-ft. café is now the international flagship location for the chocolate retailer featuring an almost entirely brand-new menu focused on the company’s Belgian chocolate and waffle heritage. WJCA designed custom fixtures for the flagship café in New York City.
WJCA and Godiva collaborated on the scope, budgets and schedules and strategized on a program. WJCA is now poised to help implement this concept in Godiva’s targeted markets. Based on the new program requirements, WJCA is working through the challenges and ready to help Godiva meet their goals for 2019 and beyond. This concept was similar to the Penn Station pop-up store that WJCA worked on back in February.
With so many cafes for customers to choose from, Godiva understands the importance of:
- Creating an experience customers can’t get elsewhere
- A functional and modern cafe design
- And convenient hours for time starved consumers
For a brief look inside Godiva’s new cafe take a look: Godiva Is Opening A Cafe In New York