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Starbucks Opens Its First 3D-Printed Store (fastcompany.com) 37

Posted by EditorDavid from the fast-food-restaurants dept.
What can you build with a 3D printer? Starbucks just printed itself a new store — a drive-through location in the southern tip of Texas.

Fast Company says it's a store that "looks more like the future of construction than your average café." Built with layers of concrete piped out by a giant robotic printer, the 1,400-square-foot structure is part of the company's ongoing effort to modernize operations and trim costs... Peri-3D, a German company, used a giant 3D printer to pump out layers of concrete mixture to create the structure. According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the cost for building the small scale coffee shop was about $1.2 million...

Of course, the new method is a first for the brand. And builders say, the more they use the technology, the more efficient they are at it. In Georgetown, Texas, an entire community of 100 homes was recently built using 3D-printing. The company who built the community, Lennar, says they're seeing costs drop with each build. Stuart Miller, chairman and co-CEO of Lennar, told CNBC earlier this year that the construction company says their costs and cycle time go down "by half" by adopting 3D-printing. "This is significant improvement in evolving a housing market that has the ability to change over time and being more adaptable and more functional in providing affordable and attainable housing for a broader swath of the market," said Miller...

3D-printing is also much faster, meaning that projects can be completed in a fraction of the time, potentially drastically cutting labor costs. According to the World Economic Forum, 3D-printing can cost just 30% of what building structures the old-fashioned way costs.
The article offers more examples of 3D-printed buildings. ("in Japan, a 3D-printed train station was just erected. And Peri-3D, itself, has completed at least 15 construction projects, including residential buildings in Europe and Germany.")

3D-printing has even been incorporated into some restaurants for customizing food, the article notes, "but building restaurants with the technology is a brand-new development."

Although not everyone seems convinced. Instagram comments on a picture of Starbucks' new 3D-printed drive-through characterized its aesthetic as "dirty", "fugly", "violently hideous", and "like hot garbage".

Starbucks Opens Its First 3D-Printed Store More | Reply

Starbucks Opens Its First 3D-Printed Store

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  • I hate them in my prints

  • Builders will have to learn what they can do with it, and what they can get away with, by experience. 3D printing allows walls to flow and make shapes that are all but impossible, or at least very expensive, with conventional techniques. Curves also make them stronger. But it's not clear just how well 3D printed walls will hold up to age and catastrophe. Eventually techniques will evolve to soften the layered look or at least vary it some. There is still no real consensus on what to do about roofs, and end of life demo promises to be a whole new thing. But there's certainly room to explore a technology that just needs to be hosed out after a flood, can't burn, and might be earthquake proof.

    • This is a poor example of the look. I actually kind of like the layers when you see them in a better design with proper finish. The textured look is like a contemporary stucco or fancy adobe look.

    • Since this concrete isn't armored, there is no rebar to rust and age shouldn't be a problem. For the same reason, I would expect the concrete to be of a high-strength variant with lots of microsilica or other pozollanic materials in it. Then again, when all of your walls can carry load and are quite thick, probably bending stress becomes a moot point. The weight of the roof will be a joke when distributed reasonably equally on all walls and not only on a few points of a skeletal structure.

  • $1.2 million ? (Score:3)

    by Art Challenor ( 2621733 ) on Sunday April 27, 2025 @05:08PM (#65335441)
    How is $1.2 million for 1400sqft a deal?

    • Maybe not a deal, per se, but note out of range compared to the average.

      https://www.vettedbiz.com/star... [vettedbiz.com]

      • I suppose it depends on what's included but even then $850/sqft is still a surprisingly high number, even if you include high-end fixtures and fittings. The coffee equipment is not that expensive. This is in Brownsville, not a notably high cost area, maybe the total cost includes site purchase, then it might start to add up - but it's a little disingenuous to include that since stick-frame construction would also have that cost.

        • According to the article, the $1.2 million is just the building, not the entire startup costs. If you look at the breakdown in the linked page, you can see that the building itself is only about half the total cost.

          • This article https://krghospitality.com/202... [krghospitality.com] , linked from the FC article say $480/sqft for a coffee shop, but that included everything, insurance, staff training, etc. etc. The FC article suggests that this was more of a POC and not expected to be economical. I'd absolutely accept that, and the idea that costs for this approach could be expected to come down over time, except the emphasis of the summary is how efficient/cost-effective this approach is.

    • How is $1.2 million for 1400sqft a deal?

      Firstly, no one anywhere said it was a deal. In fact TFS specifically mentions that the costs are being optimised and dropping with experience in the construction.

      Secondly, I take it you're comparing it to building a house rather than building a commercial building? The $1.2million figure was for complete building and fitment. That is far more expensive for a commercial building than a residential one.

  • rebar? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by caseih ( 160668 ) on Sunday April 27, 2025 @05:11PM (#65335451)

    Was hoping for a bit more detail than the article gave. Concrete is great and all but how do they make it earthquake resistant? Or survive broad face hurricane winds on a 20' tall flat wall? Can they put rebar in the walls?

    • Generally 3D printed buildings are garbage. You add the rebar after you print and epoxy it to walls. You can use a lot less concrete with a 3D print, but you don't really save any money compared to just putting some traditional forms up and filling it with concrete. And optionally for insulation (sound and thermal) building with voids, then filling them with a non-structural foam concrete. it's also a chance to handle moisture more effectively than with monolithic concrete, but it's less labor than stacking

    • Ayup - Rebar, insulation, roofing, flooring, plumbing, electrics, doors and windows. I donâ(TM)t see how using a giant glue gun to make uneven walls, help with any of the rest of the build and building by hand with concrete blocks is very fast and looks better.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by shilly ( 142940 )

        Exactly this. It's really not a 3d printed store. It's 3d printed walls for a store, but none of the rest of the build or fit-out. It's not even like 3d printed buildings are facing the equivalent of a last-mile problem, they're still struggling with the first mile.

    • No need to earthquake proof in Texas I would imagine. But they do use similar tech to make earthquake resistant homes.

      https://cobod.com/first-3d-pri... [cobod.com]

  • UGLY! (Score:4, Informative)

    by HiThere ( 15173 ) <charleshixsn AT earthlink DOT net> on Sunday April 27, 2025 @05:13PM (#65335455)

    I suppose it's a matter of taste...but UGH!
    (There's a link to a picutre of it in the article. No wonder they didn't want to put that picture in the article.)

  • Demonstration Video (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 ) on Sunday April 27, 2025 @05:54PM (#65335525)

    Since I was curious you can see the thing in action

    COBOD 3D Printing & Finish Options Displayed at World of Concrete 2022 [youtube.com]

    I've seen these before but I do always love that it really is just as one would imagine as a "3d printer". "Gantry and squeeze goo from nozzle" just make it bigger and change the goo.

  • It seems like all those layered ridges would eventually accumulate dirt, and the rough raw concrete look is very unappealing. They should incorporate a smoothing mechanism when it is printed, or coat it with stucco.

    • As the tech matures you might be able to make siding that snaps into the forms, or fastens relatively easily?
  • Article:

    12 Examples of 3D-Printed Houses [builtin.com]
    3D-printed houses can be made in a matter of hours at a fraction of the cost of conventional construction methods.

    Quotes:

    "With minimal human oversight, these highly customizable structures can be built on-site or off-site within a matter of hours at a fraction of the cost."

    "Following a digital blueprint, a 3D printer will dispense a paste-like mixture. This will consist of choice ingredients — often a cement blend — but can range from sand and

  • Gotta admit (Score:3)

    by Ol Olsoc ( 1175323 ) on Sunday April 27, 2025 @06:37PM (#65335561)
    That place is as spot on ugly as their coffee sucks. Quite fitting.

    Brutalist architecture called, they thank the 3D printers for making Brutalism not the ugliest buildings ever.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by rykin ( 836525 )
      Honestly, I think this is part of the marketing. Starbucks is considered to be pretty hip and stylish amongst some people, so they're probably banking on the possibility that Starbucks will make this type of building structure look cool.

      • Honestly, I think this is part of the marketing. Starbucks is considered to be pretty hip and stylish amongst some people, so they're probably banking on the possibility that Starbucks will make this type of building structure look cool.

        Probably be better to work on their coffee. Inconsistent roasting, with some burnt beans, to a weird moldy taste, and overly strong - maybe to hide the defects? Anyhow, I'd sooner have McDonalds coffee than Starbucks overpriced swill.

  • May I take your order?
  • After some thought.. I do not need a huge place to live. I have more space than I need. I would like maybe a 16x12 foot space, with a computer, TV, toilet, fridge, and kitchen. I do have a much larger space that I don't need. I also wonder if Clay could be used to 3D print a home? Burn some wood on the inside and outside. Apply some paint maybe? I am just brainstorming. A nice fireplace would be very cool too.

  • You can build in any shape you want, as long as it is an extrusion without any overhangs, and you don't mind an ugly layering effect.

  • There is no AI. At the same time, contrary to all the hype of the last decade, 3D printing sucks. Look at the thing. Just like AI requires basically a complete rewrite/session of photoshop to get anything decent, 3D prints require significant clean up to be anything usable. OK, there is clean 3D printing if you are willing to use a hugely expensive printer and specific print materials to make basic shapes. Where's all that 3D printed world hundreds of posts here predicted? The only real difference bet

  • More efficient than traditional construction by hand, sure. But why on earth would you use a 3d printer to print individual houses when you can just fabricate pieces and lift them in place with a crane? If there is an advantage to building on site, then a mobile fab in a trailer, but molds, prefab walls, are much, much better. I am much more excited by panels being produced in a factory with a waterproof/fireproof layer, insulation, structures, these are fundamentally better than just squirting out concret
  • Been to a Starbucks twice in my life, and both times I took 1 sip then threw it away as it was that disgusting.

    NZ, AU, IT, FR, and others make GOOD coffee, when ever I am in the USA I avoid it, for a country that drinks so much of it you would think the USA could actually make a decent cup.

    • NZ, AU, IT, FR, and others make GOOD coffee, when ever I am in the USA I avoid it, for a country that drinks so much of it you would think the USA could actually make a decent cup.

      We have great coffee here, but the bulk of it is crap. You need to go to a local shop that uses local coffee for good results. Starbucks in particular burns the shit out of their beans so that you can still taste coffee through all the sugar that's in most of their drinks. Dutch Brothers takes the other approach to the same crap, in that you just cannot taste the coffee, and apparently a lot of people want that particular experience.

      My favorite coffee is Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company's "Steve's Smooth

  • The only way I can see it trims costs is if the construction firm gave them a discount to boost the project in their publicity. Otherwise, slapping a few walls up on a building are only a fraction of the costs incurred. I do not believe for a second that they saved $800,000 to put up some walls over other forms of construction technique. Especially when you see the size of the building which is a very small drive through and a fugly one at that.

  • I watched a structure built locally using one of these construction printers. There are drawbacks. It really only does walls. Foundations are poured in the standard way, and if you have crazy walls, foundations have to be adjusted accordingly and that drives up costs. Framing and roofing is all generally done the same way. It only does a single story, which appears to be anathema to developers around here who want the 3 story cubes. Lastly, this was probably a function of the developing technology, but the

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