New Starbucks Validates Hank Freid

Hank Freid's Marrakech Hotel NYC has scored a Starbucks on its ground-floor at 103rd Street and Broadway. The omnipresent coffee vendor has signed a 10-year lease for 1,400 square feet, and will open by the end of August.

Mr. Freid's Marrakech has an interesting history as does the hotelier himself. Put another way, no one would've expected, only a couple of years ago, that Starbucks would choose the ground-floor of 2688 Broadway for a new spot. But it has: According to an understated release on the lease from Mr. Freid's Impulsive Group, "Starbucks is popular in this neighborhood; currently there are other locations in the area."

On the Upper West Side? Get outta here!