The world's only Nutella Café has reopened at 189 N. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, bringing a redesigned interior, an expanded menu, and a first-ever order-ahead capability to the Ferrero-owned destination concept.

What's New

The reimagined café introduces three notable upgrades simultaneously: a refreshed physical space, a broader food and beverage menu, and digital ordering functionality that allows guests to place orders before they arrive. The order-ahead feature marks a meaningful operational shift for the concept, aligning it with the frictionless service expectations that today's foodservice guests increasingly demand. For operators watching branded retail-café hybrids, the move signals how heritage consumer packaged goods brands are doubling down on experiential hospitality as a brand-building tool.

Why Operators Should Watch

The Nutella Café sits at an interesting intersection of restaurant experience trends and CPG brand extension — a model that has drawn growing attention across the foodservice industry. By controlling the full dining experience, Ferrero can shape how consumers engage with the Nutella brand well beyond the grocery shelf. Adding order-ahead technology to a single-unit specialty concept is also notable: it reflects how even boutique, destination-driven venues are investing in the kind of digital infrastructure typically associated with scaled quick-service and fast-casual restaurant chains.

For hospitality professionals, the café's evolution offers a case study in how a globally recognized ingredient brand can sustain consumer interest through physical experience and menu innovation — particularly in a high-foot-traffic urban corridor like Michigan Avenue. The redesigned space and expanded menu suggest Ferrero is committed to keeping the concept fresh and competitive in Chicago's crowded café market, where differentiation increasingly depends on both the quality of the offering and the ease of the transaction.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.