Chobani's New York City Cafe Doubles As Test Kitchen

From the outside, the Chobani store on the corner of Prince Street and West Broadway looks like any sleek shop in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. But sales aren’t the yogurt maker’s primary objective. What Chobani really wants to know is what the young, trendy shoppers prowling the area think of its creations.

The two-year-old cafe offers a menu of savory items, including a cup of plain yogurt topped with red pepper harissa, feta cheese, olive oil, and mint, and various sweet dishes featuring figs, honey, and pistachios. Almost all of the menu’s food items, which range in price from $4.75 to $9.95, include Chobani yogurt.

Gauging customer tastes at the retail location has gone well enough that Chobani plans to open 10 similar outlets in the next year or so, in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and other U.S. cities. For the country’s best-selling Greek-style yogurt, the cafe represents a quick way to track people’s preferences. It is “an inspiration and incubation center for us,” says Peter McGuinness, Chobani’s chief marketing and brand officer. “We often have discussions with our guests at the cafe.” Sometimes their feedback leads to new menu items, such as the smoked-salmon sandwich made with mint and labne, a strained yogurt spread.

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