South Korean tourists come to New York to cruise to the top of the Empire State Building and wander through the exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art. But another must-do activity is a little less expected: a visit to Think Coffee.
Tucked away on an airy stretch of Mercer Street, this Manhattan coffee shop attracts a predictable crowd of locals and New York University students in need of their daily jolt. But it also beckons South Korean visitors on a pilgrimage to see a place spotlighted on one of their country?s most popular TV programs.
That was back in 2009, when entertainers from the variety show ?Infinite Challenge? arrived at Think Coffee?s marble countertop. As part of a New York-themed episode, their mission was clear: order a complicated espresso drink in English, as any Manhattanite would. At the height of rush hour, each took his turn stumbling over pronunciation and making jokes. Perplexed bystanders stared at these men in their eye-catching attire ? a polka dot tie, a bowler hat or a fire-engine-red suit ? all while the cameras whirred.
In 2009, Think Coffee in Greenwich Village presented many challenges to a visitor from afar.
Whether it was the foreign aesthetic of the shop?s d?cor; the baristas, who had no idea what was happening; or simply the fact that ?Infinite Challenge? chose to feature this coffee shop out of all the coffee shops in New York, Think Coffee has left a lasting impression on South Koreans, who can?t seem to get enough of the place.
On a bright afternoon recently, Bongsup Kim, 29, looked around the entrance of Think Coffee, which has five branches in Lower Manhattan. With a camera dangling from each shoulder, he got in line to order an iced coffee and snapped photographs of his surroundings as he waited.
?Many people know this Think Coffee,? said Mr. Kim, who lives in Seoul. It was his first time visiting the shop, and although he confessed that he did not actually like the taste of coffee, he wanted to check it out after seeing the Think Coffee on ?Infinite Challenge.?
?The TV show is very special in Korea,? he said, adding that he watches it ?every week.?
On another morning, two South Korean visitors took photos inside the coffee shop with their iPhones. They explained that, to them, Think Coffee represents ?high culture.?
?Like TriBeCa,? said one of the visitors, Ja Sook Lee. ?Or maybe the East Village.? And, they added, there?s a social message too.
When the first Think Coffee opened on Mercer Street in 2006, it was a place to linger over a robust house blend and feel virtuous doing it. The shop gave 10 percent of its proceeds to local charities and soon began using biodegradable cups. Its organic coffee was Fair Trade, a certification system meant to ensure that farmers and laborers in developing countries toil in proper working conditions and get decent wages.
Perhaps that?s why the producer of ?Infinite Challenge? took an interest in Think Coffee in the first place. The largely unscripted program blends slapstick antics with what fans understand to be a deeper social commentary.
Shortly after the episode was broadcast, interest in Think Coffee from South Korea exploded. Think Coffee?s owner, Jason Scherr, 46, said he received more than 30 e-mails from South Korean companies seeking to open a branch in Seoul. He and his partners were concerned about the challenges of quality control. But eventually they found a suitable partner and licensed their brand to a company called Seoul Food.
Seoul Food then went to work recreating the feel of the New York stores: hardwood floors, chalkboard menus mounted on the walls, smooth countertops and exposed brick. Ah Young Suh, the representative director of Think Coffee in South Korea, said that South Koreans longed for the ?Manhattan lifestyle.? And now, with three locations open in Seoul and plans for a fourth in the works, South Koreans don?t have to travel so far to get it.
But travel they do. Though it fluctuates seasonally, a tour group of 40 to 60 South Koreans piles into the Think Coffee on Mercer Street, usually once a week. The visitors often order complicated drinks ? just like on the TV show ? much to the baristas? chagrin.
?If 50 people all order espresso drinks in 10 minutes, there?s no way we can make them all in time for them to catch a bus,? said Michael Crowder, a barista. ?Once, a couple of ladies got left behind and they had to call the bus driver.?
Dave Beck, a former Think Coffee barista, happened to be working behind the counter on the day the episode filmed. He is also a folk-rock musician, so Seoul Food invited him to play at their launch party for the first Think Coffee, on a rooftop in Seoul last year.
?Dave was quite the celebrity,? Mr. Scherr recalled.
Now, these fans will have a little bit more of the Think Coffee experience: Mr. Beck said he was moving to South Korea to play his music, write and teach English.
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