Lucky Cup Coffee to open second St. Pete location at The Factory after whirlwind first year

When longtime mates April Lupkey and Lauren Kirk quietly opened Lucky Cup Espresso Co. interior the Galaxy Resort in downtown St. Pete closing summer season, most of their prospects had been resort guests.

Some days, they made upright two drinks.

Then a chum ordered a matcha latte that wasn’t even on the menu and shared it on social media.

The post took off, and the miniature resort foyer café instant grew to become belief to be one of St. Pete’s quickest-rising coffee shops.

A one year later, the pair is making ready for its biggest step yet.

On the modern time, Lucky Cup introduced it’ll launch a 2d situation at 2606 Fairfield Avenue South interior The Factory, a extensive ingenious campus in the Warehouse Arts District that is home to local companies admire FloridaRAMA, Daddy Kool Records, and St. Pete Athletic.

The 2,150-sq.-foot café will feature an expanded coffee program, a plentiful outside patio, and an fully unique evening belief.

Daytime provider is anticipated to begin up later this summer season, with beer, wine and evening programming debuting this topple.

“We knew at some level we would rating to a bunch up the set up we would outgrown the location that we’re in in the meanwhile,” Lupkey mentioned in a dialog with St. Pete Rising. “The resort situation can undoubtedly feel moderately miniature, and there is so mighty extra that we can provide our prospects.”

Success came faster than either proprietor expected.

What started as a two-particular person operation has grown into an eight-particular person crew, forcing Lupkey and Kirk to instant learn to scale a industry while placing forward the quality and personality that attracted prospects in the well-known set up.

“We extinct to eyeball every thing,” Kirk laughed. “Now we’re by what selling 500 coffees in a day map for inventory, prep, recipes, and managing a rising crew.”

That attention to ingredient is mirrored all over Lucky Cup’s menu.

Nearly each signature drink may perhaps well even be ordered with either espresso or matcha, including favorites admire the Banana Bread latte, made with home-made banana syrup and cinnamon, or the Oh Honey, that contains honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and a contact of salt.

Whereas seasonal drinks rotate all one year prolonged, these two originals hold remained the café’s simplest-selling beverages.

The breakfast menu has also developed a real following.

As well to pastries and other baked items, Lucky Cup presents eight breakfast and lunch gadgets, starting from sandwiches and bagels to loaded toasts.

Basically the most in style meals merchandise is the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, or BEC, served on a sequence of sourdough, bagel or croissant.

The menu also substances avocado toast topped with microgreens, pickled onions and hemp hearts, and a banana toast layered with peanut or almond butter, honey and cinnamon.

That divulge has given Lupkey and Kirk the self assurance to mediate beyond coffee.

Within the evenings, Lucky Cup will transition into a neighborhood gathering set up with local craft beer, wines, mocktails, and shareable plates.

Lupkey and Kirk also hope to experiment with wine-primarily based totally cocktails as the belief that evolves.

As for the skin patio, Lucky Cup plans to recount the location for dwell tune, night markets, recreation nights, and other neighborhood events.

“When of us quiz me to jabber St. Pete, I counsel or now not it is miles a undoubtedly feel-staunch set up the set up all people is into work, custom, and assignment,” Lupkey mentioned. “I undoubtedly feel admire The Factory extra or less embodies that. Whereas you needed to position St. Pete in one constructing, it’d be The Factory.”

For Lupkey and Kirk, the expansion is ready greater than opening one other coffee store.

“It is good to be ready to originate an abilities for any individual,” they mentioned. “That is what drives each of us.”

They credit the St. Pete neighborhood for making that that it is doubtless you’ll mediate of.

“We each would desire to accurate how grateful we’re to the neighborhood,” Lupkey mentioned. “With out their enhance, there shouldn’t be any intention that we are in a position to be taking this enormous step.”

Make certain to apply Lucky Cup Espresso Co. on Instagram and TikTok to now not sleep to this level on the most modern specials and the mountainous opening of its unique situation.