It won’t be in time for Valentine’s Day, but coffee lovers may have reason to rejoice in New Kensington this month.
Starbucks will open its new cafe in Riverview Plaza on Tarentum Bridge Road on Feb. 25, a spokesperson said.
It will employ 20 to 30 people, the spokesperson said. The freestanding building includes a drive-thru window.
Starbucks follows the January opening of Harbor Freight and the opening of Aldi nearly two years ago in the ongoing redevelopment of Riverview Plaza. The strip shopping center’s rebirth comes after the 2019 closing and 2021 demolition of the longstanding Kmart there.
A Dollar Tree opened in the plaza in 2023.
A Wingstop restaurant is currently under construction adjacent to a Dollar Tree discount store. When it will open is not known; a company representative has not responded to requests for comment.
New Kensington isn’t the only Alle-Kiski Valley community getting a new Starbucks. A similar building is under construction at Hyde Park Plaza in Allegheny Township. Another Starbucks opened in Buffalo Township in late 2023.
New Kensington officials reviewed and approved plans for Starbucks and Harbor Freight about a year ago.
A Starbucks kiosk is located in the nearby Giant Eagle. A Giant Eagle spokesman said the new cafe will not impact it — Giant Eagle is a licensee and operates its own in-store Starbucks locations with its own employees following Starbucks procedures and guidelines.
Other development on Tarentum Bridge Road includes approval for a Valvoline Instant Oil Change in front of the Quality Inn between Shamey’s Gas Station and the entrance to Giant Eagle. Trees were recently removed from the site and a fence was installed, but construction has yet to begin.