Why Is the Air Conditioning So Cold in a Luckin Coffee Store?

In summer, Luckin Coffee stores draw complaints for air conditioning set as low as 16°C. Customers say picking up an order feels like entering an ice cellar, and some report colds. Staff explain the low setting is partly meant to keep mosquitoes and insects out, and store layouts play a role too.

Online, the brand has been nicknamed the ice cellar, and posts about the cold appear every summer, even when outdoor temperatures pass 35°C. For visitors, the practical advice is to bring a light layer when ordering inside, or choose a seat away from vents and take the drink outside.

In the height of summer, Luckin Coffee stores have once again become a hot topic on social media due to their excessively strong air conditioning. Many customers complain that stepping into a store to pick up coffee feels like walking into an ice cellar, and some have even caught colds from the freezing conditions. What exactly causes Luckin's air conditioning to be set as low as 16°C? Why can employees remain so calm in such an environment? This article starts from customers' real experiences, combines employees' disclosed considerations about preventing mosquitoes and insects with the spatial characteristics of the stores, and comprehensively analyzes the causal logic behind Luckin's "ice cellar" phenomenon, while also providing coffee lovers with a summer store-visit reference.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

Recently, many parts of the country have entered a scorching heatwave mode. Staying outdoors for even a short while leaves people drenched in sweat, and without escaping into an air-conditioned indoor space, it is truly hard to endure such severe heat.

Although everyone's perception of temperature differs, among chain coffee brands, Luckin has long been deeply associated with powerful cooling, and on social platforms it has even been dubbed an "ice cellar." Of course, for consumers who are naturally afraid of heat and tend to have a hot constitution, this place is nothing short of a summer paradise.

Regarding the issue of overly low temperatures in Luckin stores, compared with the busy staff, customers who enter the store clearly have more say:

"Waiting for a coffee, and I got heatstroke-related cold symptoms" "Outside is Africa, inside is the North Pole" "Every day I come here I get so cold my hair stands on end" "Every time I leave Luckin my glasses fog up" "(So cold that) my skeletal muscles start trembling uncontrollably to generate heat"

"I got soaked by the rain, and as soon as I opened the door and went in I kept shivering, even my teeth were chattering"

In coffee lovers' circles, posts complaining that Luckin's air conditioning is too strong are common. Even when the outdoor temperature is above 35°C, some people still find it hard to adapt to the low temperature inside the store. To specifically describe how cold it is, one might as well listen to a slightly cold-sensitive customer describe their personal experience of entering a store to pick up coffee.

When you stand outside a Luckin with its air conditioning running at full blast, you will see the entire glass wall covered in a layer of white mist, and many downward-trickling droplets hanging on the transparent door panels;

If you have just walked in from outdoors drenched in sweat, wearing short sleeves and shorts, your whole body will instantly feel cool, as if you have been fully revived. However, after a moment your back begins to feel chilly, and those who are sensitive to cold immediately get goosebumps; if you sit for too long, you may even get a runny nose from the cold;

When you finish picking up your coffee and are about to leave, as soon as you push open Luckin's door, you not only have to face the blast of real high temperature, but friends who wear glasses can also successfully acquire a pair of cyberpunk-style "new glasses."

Out of curiosity, some netizens once photographed the air conditioning settings in a Luckin store. Sure enough, it was exactly 16°C and in strong-wind mode, while the apparent outdoor temperature that day was only 7–8°C. No wonder people who are sensitive to cold shiver all over every time they enter a Luckin.

This inevitably makes one ask, why does Luckin set its air conditioning so low?

Some employees revealed that the main reason Luckin sets the air conditioning temperature extremely low is to prevent mosquitoes and insects, especially in summer when room temperature is high. Keeping the cold air in the low range of 16–20°C creates a certain temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, making it harder for small flying insects to enter, and also helping to avoid contamination of materials.

As for the strong low temperature inside the stores, Luckin employees actually know it well. After all, every day customers ask them: "Aren't you really cold?"

In fact, they really do not feel cold. Employees behind the counter are making drinks at high frequency almost all day, so their bodies remain active; second, they wear work outfits such as shirts, aprons, and hats; third, they are surrounded by the heat emitted by refrigerators, ice machines, coffee machines, and other equipment. Taking all these factors together, it is probably hard for these workers to have any chance to feel cold.

As for why most Luckin stores are generally cold, it is probably because the vast majority of stores are not large, the air conditioning temperature itself is set extremely low, and customers almost always leave right after picking up their coffee, rarely lingering for long. So compared with large stores that focus on dine-in service, they naturally feel much colder.

Image source: Xiaohongshu screenshot

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet. For some content on the website, such as images, we will respect the original creator's copyright and indicate the source. However, due to the large volume, a few images and texts may not have been credited in time. Please understand. If the original creator has any dispute, they may contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop." Please indicate the source when reposting. If there is infringement, please inform us and we will delete it. Thank you~!

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