Every once in a while, I’m surprised by the number of people tracking a seemingly innocuous story. This is one of those times. So, for all you have been wondering when the Dunkin’ Donuts would be opening in Westwood, this is for you: Dunkin’ Donuts officially throws open its doors today at 9am at 1001 Gayley in Westwood Village. (Thursday 01/12/2023) You’re Welcome.
The troubled corner space at 1001 Gayley in Westwood Village was most recently and briefly the home to juice shop Qwench, and before that it was a branch of Coffee Bean. Now a reader (Thanks Kiko!) wrote to tell me that a new coffee joint is taking over to location. It appears that national chain Dunkin’ Donuts will soon be dishing breakfast pastries and sugary coffee drinks to the good people of Westwood.
Beverly Hills lost both of their branches of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the mass extinction event the chain experienced during the Pandemic closures. Their location at 445 N Beverly Dr. has sat empty ever since, but that’s about to change. A notice of intent for an open air dining permit posted on the front door spills the beans that an outpost of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is on the way. Founded by Jeni Britton Bauer and headquartered in Columbus Ohio, Jeni’s boasts a frozen treat with “a uniquely smooth texture and buttercream body, with bright flavor and clean finish” for which people go crazy, including President Joe Biden.
Congratulations Good People of Beverly Hills, mojito mint coffee is heading your way… Beverly Hills lost its branches of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the company’s mass extinction event that occurred over a year ago when multiple SoCal locations closed (there are still a smattering of branches around). But the chain’s previous address at 233 S Beverly Dr. is destined to be a java joint once more. According to window paper, the Bay Area’s third wave darling, Philz Coffee, will be replacing the second wave CBTL at this location.
Don’t count out plucky Everytable… The nobly inspired concept chain aimed to bring fresh, nutritious, made-from-scratch meals to a fast food world at price points based on what a community could afford. Then they ran into a spot of trouble a while ago and closed various outlets. But hope springs eternal. There’s window paper covering the prominent space at 11049 Santa Monica Blvd Suite A in West LA (former site of a CBTL) announcing that they are opening a new branch at this location… and just about everywhere else as well. Check out this impressive list of upcoming Everytables, including Long Beach, Van Nuys, and Torrance. This branch is planning on a November 5th opening.
A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Ely!) let me know that a new coffee shop is landing in Westwood. Window paper is announcing that expanding Australian coffee chain Bluestone Lane is moving into the former home of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at 950 Westwood Blvd. (corner of Weyburn). And check out their offer for free coffee everyday during opening week by scanning the code in the window (or in my photo below)…
I heard from many distraught people when The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf closed last year at 829 Wilshire Blvd. (corner of 9th). But the free-standing building isn’t destined to be empty for long. Signs are up indicating that this will be a branch of expanding chain Randy’s Donuts.
It looks like popular breakfast/lunch spot Jinky’s Cafe is expanding into the world of coffee and grab-and-go. You may recall that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the corner of Second St. and Santa Monica Blvd. disappeared in last year’s mass extinction event that saw so many closures for the beloved SoCal chain. Now there’s a banner on the location, at 200 Santa Monica Blvd., announcing a new java joint: Jinky’s Coffee. We are promised a chai and coffee bar, bakery, sandwiches, wraps, and “empanads and samosas”.
The story that has garnered the most interest on this blog recently has been the disappearance of neighborhood coffee shops, and in particular, the mass extinction of SoCal’s beloved The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Thank you to all the readers who sent me news that the CBTL at 9th and Wilshire in Santa Monica has now also succumbed. There is still one extant Coffee Bean in the Third St. Promenade, and I went in today to have a look. The lack of customers, and low inventory of food left me wondering what its future may be… What’s going on? I’m not certain, but perhaps there’s a clue here.
As you know if you read this blog, coffee shops are getting hammered right now. Peets, The Coffee Bean, and even Starbucks have all been closing locations recently. And now it looks like the newish Bluestone Lane is leaving its location at 9523 S. Santa Monica, in the Golden Triangle. The large for lease sign in the window appears to confirm it.
Yikes! Ever since I first started telling you about the mass extinction of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from the Westside, I’ve been hearing from horrified fans mourning the loss of even more neighborhood CBTLs. The Coffee Bean on the corner of Second and Santa Monica Blvd. is now gone. The CBTL on the corner of Wilshire and Federal has disappeared. And, while I haven’t checked it out personally, readers are telling me that The Coffee Bean on the corner of Lincoln and Manchester is now caput. Lots of you have been sending me theories on why this is happening, but if you have definite information, please let us know…
Times have most certainly not been good for coffee joints. If you’ve been reading this site, you know that The Coffee Bean has been hit particularly hard. But just recently, I noticed that Peet’s Coffee has quit its location at 258 S Beverly Dr. in Bevery Hills. I don’t think we’re done with this trend yet…
I’ve been reporting, with some alarm, on the mass extinction of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from the Westside. The large location at 3150 Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica has also disappeared. Lots of you have some theories on why this is happening, but does anybody actually have the story? (Thanks Trent!)
I’ve been watching the mass extinction of The Westside’s beloved Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. It appears yet another one may have bitten the dust. The popular CBTL at 2901 Main St. in Santa Monica appears to be closed. While it doesn’t have the poster announcing the closure as the other ones have had, the windows are papered over and the equipment has been removed. What is going on?
Earlier this week, I told you about the permanent closure of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on S Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills. I reader was quick to point out that the CBTL that anchors the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and S Beverly Glen Blvd. was also closing as of Sunday, May 17th. I went by the coffee shop and checked it out: A notice in the window confirms that this branch is now permanently closed. What’s going on with CBTL?
I’m not sure what the circumstances were, but it appears that the normally crowded Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at 233 S Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills has permanently closed. There’s a notice in the window thanking customers for their support. I’ll keep my eye on the space.
A great many of you were shocked to learn that the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf had closed its doors back in August at its iconic stand-alone location at 1500 Westwood Blvd. Die hard CBTL fans have been mourning the loss, but there is more coffee on the way… A banner recently went up announcing Starbucks as the replacement.
It was an astonishing 3 years ago that I told you about the development of the space at 1001 Gayley, erstwhile home of a Coffee Bean. Qwench Juice Bar has officially thrown open its doors and is now dishing juices, smoothies, bowls, sandwiches to the good people of Westwood. What on earth took so long? According to a spokesperson, investor issues and city permit problems are to blame.
This doesn’t happen very often… It appears that the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has closed its popular free-standing location at 1500 Westwood Blvd. I’m not sure what happened, but there is construction going on at the location. We’ll have to wait and see…
I’ve been keeping a close eye on Manhattan Village, the shopping mall on the corner of Rosecrans and Sepulveda in Manhattan Beach. With stiff competition from many new shopping and multi-use complexes next door in El Segundo, Manhattan Village is currently getting a much-needed redo. Here’s the latest progress: A new Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is under construction in a brand new part of the mall at the farthest southern point on the property, and just to the right is the new See’s Candies. Check out an artist’s rendering of the flashy new mall here, and in the mean time, I’ll keep watching as details emerge…
Toddrickallen 