CGI, Inc. (headed by CEO Jeffrey Lee), which became the first Korean-American company to have acquired franchise rights to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, opened a new branch in Little Tokyo, downtown L.A.
CGI, Inc. held a soft opening of the new café on the 14th of this month, after taking over the space located in the Little Tokyo Galleria building, which had previously been inhabited by Tom N Toms Coffee. This comes to a total of 5 Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf establishments operated by CGI, Inc. in LA, with the 4 others dispersed throughout Koreatown.
The newly opened Little Tokyo branch is differentiated from ordinary cafés in that it is over 3,000 square feet in size, as well as being equipped with independent spaces that enable small-scale meetings. Additionally, free parking is available for a limited amount of time within the Little Tokyo mall, unlike most downtown cafés where parking space is nonexistent or extremely lacking. The café is also geographically advantageous, being within five minutes of walking distance from nearby workplaces, restaurants, or convenience facilities. CGI, Inc. has plans to open around 20 more Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf branches in downtown LA with the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf head office.
Like in the existing CGI, Inc. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf stores, the reward program that allows one point for every dollar is also available for use at the Little Tokyo branch. Points may be gained through the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf application at the counter, and reward details can be viewed in the app. Choosing the icon of a certain product and clicking on “Redeem” will allow the user to pay with reward points.
The reward program can be utilized in many ways according to the accumulated points. 50 points (valid for 30 days after redeem) bring free drinks or bakery products, and platinum membership is available after exceeding 300 points, which will earn the customer free drinks and bakery products for every 40 points (valid for 30 days after redeem). VIP status, which can be achieved through gaining 540 points or more, provides the member with a special VIP-only bonus and gift certificate as well as free drinks and bakery products for every 240 points. Maintaining a platinum or VIP membership requires the usage of 240 or more points each year.
Meanwhile, CGI, Inc. is set to hold a grand opening mid-August, a month after its soft opening. They plan to have a big promotional event to celebrate the opening.
