"New Coffee Stand In UES Subway Stop Aims To Caffeinate Commuters"
The Patch
Winfield Street Coffee is serving up drinks and pastries in the 86th Street Q train stop — with plans to expand to more UES stations.
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — As workers return to offices and subway stations begin to fill up again, Upper East Side commuters have a new option for a quick caffeine fix.
Winfield Street Coffee opened Monday on the platform of the 86th Street-Second Avenue station on the Q line. Eager customers gave the business a warm welcome, lining up to buy hot coffee, nitro cold brew, bagels and pastries from a booth that had previously been home to a standard newspapers-and-coffee kiosk.
"People are so excited to have something before they hop on the train," said Kathryn Greaves, Winfield Street's district manager.
This is the seventh location for the Connecticut-based company, which originated out of a deli in Westport before expanding around the region. By the end of this year, Winfield Street plans to open additional coffee stands at the 72nd Street and 96th Street stations on the Q line, Greaves told Patch.
Besides coffee, food options include bagels, sandwiches, croissants, cookies, brownies and muffins. (Courtesy of Winfield Street Coffee)
Speed is the name of the game at the 86th Street location, Greaves said, since baristas are well aware that customers may only have a couple of minutes to spare before the next train arrives. Hot coffee is sourced from Counter Culture, while the cold brew from Connecticut-based RISE Brewing can also be used to make specialty drinks like macchiatos.
Food options include bagels, sandwiches, croissants, cookies, brownies and muffins.
Planning for the 86th Street shop began in 2018 — just a year after the Second Avenue subway opened — when Winfield Street's owners first made a bid for the newspaper stand. The ensuing pandemic delayed the opening, as owners waited for subway ridership numbers to bounce back and for the MTA to green-light the stand.
Employees outside the new Winfield Street Coffee stand at 86th Street at Monday's opening. (Courtesy of Winfield Street Coffee)
Now, with two more Upper East Side locations in the works and city leaders encouraging New Yorkers to get back on the subway and into their offices, Winfield Street's managers are feeling optimistic.
"I hope that continues to feed our operation to feed and caffeinate New York," Greaves said.
Winfield Street Coffee is open daily on the 86th Street Q train platform, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and from 7a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Read more at: The Patch