Eco-Friendly Coffee Carts To Open At Prospect Park

BROOKLYN, NY — A rapidly expanding coffee chain is opening a couple more locations in Prospect Park as part of the park's ongoing efforts to bring snacks to "Brooklyn's Backyard."

Blank Street, a Brooklyn-based coffee chain, is set to open two of its signature battery-powered coffee carts in Prospect Park in the upcoming months: one will open on April 25 near Bartel-Pritchard Square in South Slope, and the second will open at an as-yet-determined date in May near the Lincoln Road park entrance in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

Both carts will serve coffee, tea, pastries, and tacos — in partnership with another park vendor, King David Tacos — daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. year round.

The teal carts, from which Blank Street launched in 2020, are part of the chain's mission to do more with less — namely less space (the company operates smaller-than-average "micro-coffee shops" across the city, including in Park Slope), and lower prices, which it manages to do in part due to low overhead costs and mechanical machines.

This model has taken off across New York City: In the past year the start-up opened more than 10 shops citywide, and reportedly plans to have 100 operational locations by the end of 2022.

Blank Street's affordable snacks and eco-friendly approach appealed to the Prospect Park Alliance, which helps oversee the park and has been spearheading efforts to bring more food into the outdoor area.

"We are pleased to welcome two of Blank Street’s innovative carts to the park where they can be an amenity for visitors looking for a bite and a beverage with a light environmental footprint," said James Snow, interim president of the Prospect Park Alliance.

"We know that Prospect Park patrons want more food options in the park, which is why we invited proposals from vendors who could provide affordable, healthy and sustainable options for the community," he added.

Indeed, the soon-to-open coffee carts are two of several new food options that the alliance is helping to bring to the park, including a recently-announced outpost of Winner, a beloved Park Slope bakery and cafe (that will also serve alcohol).

The park alliance has helped bring in other snack offerings, including King David Tacos at Grand Army Plaza, Bluestone Cafe to Lakeside, and a (seasonal) Smorgasburg outpost to Breeze Hill.