A Capuccino, a Croissant and a Coach Wallet, Please!
Coach cafe opens in Woodbury Commons. Shawn Nang via unsplash
On Oct. 4, Woodbury Commons welcomed a new café to its outlet, the Coach Coffee Shop. The Coach Coffee Shop is owned by the iconic bag company, and not only do they now stock pastries and espresso beans, but also a cute tote to match. The exclusive merch, pastries and cups all have their café mascot – Lil’ Miss Jo.
With more than 250 stores ranging from Aeropostale to Gucci, Woodbury Commons customers often find themselves dining in their facility as much as they shop. Coach added their new café next to their flagship store and is the fourth to open in the United States.
The new coffee shop was designed by the brand’s creative director, Stuart Vevers. Vevers created the concept for the café in the early months of 2024, and it was executed first in Indonesia as a full-running restaurant as well as a café. Following that success, two cafés opened in New Jersey, one in Texas and now one in Woodbury, New York.
The menu offers an abundance of pastries, coffee drinks, matchas and teas. They have also found a way to incorporate their timeless tote bags into their kitchen – offering a tabby cake shortbread cookie named after their Tabby Tote.
“It’s a very cute concept to have for the café, especially because so many people want to shop with coffee in their hands,” business marketing student Vincenza Casale ‘26 said. “So many stores are opening up cafés, and I think it’s good that Coach is following the trend.”
Behind the scenes, Coach’s supply management, such as warehouse factory management, fashion sustainability and textiles, shifted with the new cafés business demands. A brand that was once just focusing on sustainable leather bags is now splitting its focus to flour for sifting pastries. New sourcing networks, suppliers for dairy and coffee products, single-use packaging and pastry ingredients are a new curve learned for Coach.
Coach plans on opening 10-15 locations throughout the U.S. each year while also consistently adding to the menu. Along with the opening, they plan to still resonate with the store's sustainability efforts, ensuring quality ingredients, eco-friendly supplies and responsible suppliers – creating a seamless transition from their bags to croissants.
The Coach café in Woodbury is just one of the many cafés opened by fashion companies. Just a few steps away, the new café brews competition with Ralph’s Coffee, the café created by Ralph Lauren. Thanks to Ralph Lauren, fashion companies now follow suit. Vogue cafés and restaurants have been flooding the streets and social media feeds ever since the opening of their first restaurant in Chicago in 1999.
With fashion branching out into the culinary universe and stitching itself onto our coffee mugs, one question remains. Why are fashion brands opening restaurants and cafés?
Ralph Lauren and Coach are not the only fashion companies that have decided to venture into the food industry. Gucci, Dior, Prada, Kate Spade and now Coach have strutted their way into the culinary market to expand their already existing market.
Customer loyalty is one of the biggest goals a brand works tirelessly to achieve, and an immersive, warm experience with a cappuccino achieves just that. Cafés and restaurants open a new door to emotional connections with customers, causing an inevitable trusting relationship.
A perfect reflection of a company’s values and customers is no longer those who wear the bag, but those who buy the latte. “I do believe it’s to create a sense of community, which in turn will help with the shopping experience and make you stay longer and possibly purchase more,” said Fashion Professor Bree Chambers.
“Maybe a customer isn’t going in for an apparel item, but you go in to get that experience in connection, and then you get the trust, and then come back to purchase something when they’re ready,” Chambers added. “Getting that sense of community of a café first would lead to the overall experience, and eventually wanting to come back.”
The opening of all of the cafés and restaurants has redefined what it means to have a symbiotic relationship between these establishments and customers. Fashion designers are not just pushing purses onto our shoulders anymore, but now, where we eat and gather.
A person walking down the street with a Ralph’s traveling cappuccino isn’t just carrying the cup, but a walking advertising billboard that sparks curiosity with anyone who looks. They’re expanding brand identity beyond just the runway and into a customer's local lifestyle.
Bags and accessories have taken a step off the catwalk and into our lattes, and the melange of them has proven to strengthen relationships with consumers. There’s a constant craving for an elusive and eccentric place for coffee lovers, but has the crossover of espresso beans and bags acquired that ambition? The answer? The Instagram stories of millions prove yes.