Vancouver-based coffee chain JJ Bean, the mecca for all things coffee, has officially opened a 2000 square foot location (850 square feet of leased space and 1200 square feet of usable space) on Adelaide Street West in downtown Toronto.
This is the cafe and roaster chain’s second foray into the Toronto market, and owner John Neate Jr. (JJ) tells Daily Hive that this is only the beginning.
JJ Bean Adelaide, which offers inside seating for six, lobby seating for 38, and patio seating for 40, joins a massive 13,000 square foot warehouse in North York (an area north of Toronto’s city limits).
The warehouse, otherwise known as JJ Bean Bartley, opened in March this year with a roastery, cupping (tasting) room, commissary bakery, retail cafe, and workshop, where JJ Bean’s cabinets and wood trims are built.
Neate has big plans for JJ Bean in Toronto. When discussing the Toronto operation Neate says, “if Vancouver can have 18 stores and Toronto is six times bigger, what’s the limit?”
Neate intends to open up another Toronto location at St Clair and Yonge in early October, with several more outposts set to open over the next few years. “By next July we hope to have [cafe] number four open in Toronto,” adds Neate.
Although Neate has his eyes set on Toronto, Vancouver has in no way been forgotten. Neate tells Daily Hive that he has just signed a lease at UBC.
Located in a new build on Westbrook Mall and University Boulevard (close to the War Memorial Gym), this particular JJ Bean branch will be the largest outpost to date. Neate comments that the UBC location will include a 2500 square foot cafe, a 700 square foot patio, and a full mezzanine area. Neate hopes to begin construction on JJ Bean’s UBC addition in July, 2017.
2016 has been a record year for JJ Bean, which has grown quite significantly since launching in Vancouver back in 1996, with the opening of a downtown Vancouver location (at 425 Dunsmuir Street) in January, and Toronto outlets Bartley, Adelaide, and the yet to be revealed St. Clair branch.
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