The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Closes All NYC Franchises

NEW YORK CITY — The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has closed all its New York City locations. As of Oct. 1 the California-based coffee chain's 12 franchises have been shuttered, and it looks like they won't be back any time soon.

A spokesman from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf confirmed the closings with Patch in a statement.

"International Coffee & Tea, LLC regrets to announce that all of the franchised The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® locations in Manhattan closed on October 1, 2016. We value the brand’s loyal following in the Big Apple and intend to swiftly bring The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® hand-crafted coffees and teas, including the world famous Ice Blended® drinks, back to New York City. It is our hope that when The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® returns to New York, the new store owners will deliver the products and service our customers have come to expect through their experiences at the other 1,000+ company-owned and franchised The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® locations around the world."

The 12 New York City locations were not company-owned but instead franchises, which means somebody purchased a license from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to operate the stores under their brand. Although the statement says that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf hopes to return to New York, the company spokesman could not confirm when the chain would make its comeback.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf operated three franchises on the Upper West Side, three in Midtown, two in Tribeca, one on the Upper East Side, one in Murray Hill, one in the West Village and one in Chelsea.

Photo: Flickr user Aditya Sengupta