Two weeks ago, Food GPS featured photos of the Intelligentsia Venice construction site, but photos of rubble and wood frames didn’t exactly do justice to the cutting-edge coffeehouse. Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea Director of Innovation Kyle Glanville remedied the situation by providing renderings from Ana Henton of MASS Architecture & Design. You should also know that Glanville said the opening date has shifted to the week of March 30 due to “structural issues.”

In December, we discussed the coffeehouse’s custom-fabricated “pods,” but they were hard to visualize, until now. It’s impossible to tell due to the resized rendering, but the two baristas above are Glanville (forefront) and Ryan Willbur, who’s about to compete in the United States Barista Championship.

“The pods have a hydraulic function where everything can lower or ascend,” said Glanville. “They also swivel. The inspiration is almost like a salon where individual stations will be manned by one barista. They customize the experience depending on how they like they work.” When you walk through the door, there are two pods on the right, two on the left. There’s also a center console that hosts Clover coffee makers, sinks, fridges and a freezer, which will allow Intelligentsia to store gelato and add affogato to their arsenal. Next to the pods, you should see a drink rail, two steel supports and a plank of wood. “That’s the closest thing we have to a countertop,” said Glanville, “and that’s where people will receive their drinks.”

Related Posts

1. Food GPS Exclusive: Intelligentsia Venice
2. Intelligentsia Venice Hiring and Training
3. Intelligentsia Venice Preview and Photos
4. Intelligentsia Venice Day One
5. How Intelligentsia Baristas Prep for the USBC

1. Pingback: Intelligentsia’s Venice Store Redefines Coffee Shop Design | coffee business strategies on February 18, 2009
2. Pingback: Intelligentsia, Venice | Los Angeles Metblogs on February 18, 2009
3. Pingback: Intelligentsia Venice Renderings Revealed « Deaton on February 19, 2009

8 Comments

1. choisauce, February 17, 2009:

   how exciting, can’t wait to check it out. way to build up the suspense though with all the “structural issues.” booooo

2. Sarah Dooley, February 17, 2009:

   speachless!

3. Chris, February 18, 2009:

   I swore I was done with LA forever when I moved away in 1994. Dang it, Intelli! My mom thanks you for the future repeat visits home!

4. Jared, February 19, 2009:

   Nice coverage, Joshua… Looking good.

5. WALT!, February 19, 2009:

   Those are some funky minimalist counters. I guess the baristas will all have to wear pants now.

6. Evan, February 19, 2009:

   Is there really no place to sit besides the “concrete landing”?

7. Joshua Lurie, February 19, 2009:

   There will also be bench seating outside.

8. Richard, February 19, 2009:

   No Food??

This entry is filed under LA Culinary Compass, News, Openings.