How did coffee store reopenings unfold on Shanghai's first day back?

On June 1, Shanghai fully restored normal production and daily life after more than two months of home quarantine, and coffee stores reopened across the city. Chain brands and independent shops alike saw takeout and pickup orders surge. One owner, with the rolling shutter only half open while debugging equipment, sold over a hundred cups in three hours.

The day also marked Children's Day, and social media filled with posts about craving freshly ground coffee. Dine-in was still not allowed, so customers sat outside with their cups. The two-month freeze had silenced much of the market; as lockdown lifted, espresso machine how does it work searches and barista troubleshooting picked up again.

On June 1, Shanghai reached an important milestone as it fully restored normal production and daily life. After more than two months of home quarantine, coffee lovers finally smelled the aroma of coffee wafting through the streets and alleys once again. From chain brands to independent shops, coffee stores reopened one after another, with takeout and pickup orders surging—some shop owners even sold over a hundred cups of coffee to passersby while the rolling shutter was only half open as they debugged their equipment. This article documents the real scenes of the coffee industry's recovery before and after Shanghai's lockdown was lifted, as well as citizens' eager anticipation for a freshly ground cup of coffee.

This day was both Children's Day and the day Shanghai officially restarted, a moment worth celebrating together for everyone. The Shanghai that once shimmered with neon lights and radiated modernity has regained its lively, everyday charm. Vehicles streamed endlessly along the roads, people's excitement was written all over their faces, and the entire city was celebrating this moment.

Just the day before June 1, Shanghai residents had already begun preparing for the full restoration of production and daily life. A Weibo blogger shared their experience: returning to the shop at 5:30 in the afternoon, with the rolling shutter only half open, they had originally planned to debug the espresso machine to prepare for reopening the next day. Unexpectedly, this attracted passing pedestrians, and over a hundred cups of coffee were sold within three hours.

Many netizens expressed on social media their deep longing for the taste of freshly ground coffee from cafés.

Some media recorded scenes observed during the pandemic: rare sights that hadn't been seen for two months suddenly appeared before their eyes. Although they could only sit outside the café to drink since dine-in was not allowed, the moment they held the coffee in their hands, their mood was still joyful.

More than sixty days ago, after waking up on that silent morning, the phrase "I want to drink coffee" resounded across the internet. Since then, the coffee industry went through a process of quieting down, slowing down, and stopping. As the day of lifting the lockdown arrived, the coffee market that had been "flash-frozen" by the pandemic once again filled the air with the aroma of coffee.

Some netizens also said that hearing the delivery rider knock on the door meant they no longer needed to walk to the entrance to pick up their coffee themselves, which moved them deeply.

Global Times released on-site video yesterday, showing workers gradually removing barriers on Shanghai streets, more and more shops resuming business, children playing with pigeons, and young people sitting outdoors drinking coffee and chatting.

That evening, many Shanghai residents went out to celebrate the lifting of the lockdown. People flooded the streets, as if both celebrating their regained freedom and reminiscing about the spring days they had missed.

Images released by Global Times around 1 a.m. on June 1 showed many residents sitting on the steps outside an M Stand coffee shop, chatting happily with friends, while others brought their pets out for some fresh air.

SEESAW COFFEE, China's earliest specialty coffee chain brand founded in Shanghai in 2012, announced on its official Weibo that day that more than 40 stores in the Shanghai area had gradually resumed business.

At 9 a.m. on June 1, Economic Observer reported that residents were already waiting to pick up their orders outside a Luckin Coffee store in Shanghai, with several bags of takeout coffee placed on the table outside.

Some netizens went to M Stand and Manner stores to order and shared on Weibo. Judging from the clues in the pictures, the M Stand store this netizen visited had resumed business but did not offer dine-in, only supporting pickup and delivery.

Other netizens exclaimed that going out for the first time in three months filled them with inexplicable excitement, and that coffee outside tasted especially good.

Under the Weibo topic "What I most want to do after Shanghai recovers," many netizens said what they wanted most was to go out and have a cup of coffee.

Even through the screen, one could feel the excitement of Shanghai residents thousands of miles away. The lifting of the lockdown and the reopening of shops filled everyone with hope for the future.

Image sources: Global Times, Weibo, internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.