The World's Only Nutella® Café Reopens on Michigan Avenue — With Order-Ahead

Chicago's summer just got measurably sweeter. The world's only permanent Nutella® Café—owned and operated by Ferrero—has reopened at 189 N. Michigan Avenue after a full renovation, and it returns with more than a fresh coat of paint. The reimagined space debuts an expanded menu and, for the first time, an order-ahead option and a digital waitlist.

For operators watching how legacy CPG brands turn a jar on a grocery shelf into a destination, this reopening is worth a close look. It's a masterclass in experiential retail—one that blends nostalgia, "Instagrammable" design, and frictionless ordering into a single flagship.

A Flagship No Other City Can Claim

Sitting in the heart of the Magnificent Mile, the Nutella Café is genuinely one of a kind—no other city in the world has a permanent version. That scarcity is the whole point. It gives the location the pull of a landmark, drawing both Chicagoans and international visitors who come specifically to experience the brand in three dimensions.

"Chicago is home to something truly unique, the world's only permanent Nutella Café, and we could not be more honored to welcome guests back," said Richard Fossali, Vice President and General Manager, Fannie May and Nutella Café. "While the space has been completely reimagined, it still delivers everything fans love about the Café. To bring that experience back to Michigan Avenue is a proud moment for everyone at Ferrero."

Design That Sells the Brand Story

The redesigned space leans hard into the product itself. The new layout draws directly from the iconic Nutella jar, including a custom ordering station inspired by its signature silhouette, a swirling bronze mesh ceiling, and textured walls that echo the brand's chocolate hazelnut spread.

Just as important for throughput: dedicated zones for merchandise, ordering, and dining now create a more seamless guest flow, while feature walls throughout offer the shareable, social-ready moments that keep a location trending.

An Expanded Menu Built for Add-Ons

The classics that made the café a Chicago staple—crepes, waffles, and more—remain. But the elevated menu adds several new reasons to visit:

• Nutella Tiramisu Cups
• Nutella Mocha Frappes
• Nutella Milkshakes
• Nutella Ice Cream Cones
• Nutella Peanut Spread, now available as an add-on to café favorites
• Assorted new gelato flavors from Ferrero partner, Vero Gelato

Fan-favorite customized Nutella jars return as a signature keepsake, and new merchandise—Nutella tumblers, key chains, and mini totes—rounds out a retail assortment designed to grow average check well beyond the plate.

Order-Ahead and Waitlist Tech Arrive

The headline for the operationally minded: coming soon, guests will be able to order ahead for pickup or join a new waitlist to be notified when their table is ready. For a high-traffic tourist destination, that's a meaningful shift—converting the "stopping between meetings" crowd and the "destination visit" crowd through the same streamlined system.

Why It Matters

This reopening lands at the intersection of two trends food and beverage operators are navigating right now: experiential brand retail and frictionless ordering.

• Experience is the moat. A single flagship can do outsized work for a brand when the physical space tells the product story. The jar-inspired architecture and feature walls aren't decoration—they're marketing that guests photograph and distribute for free. Operators building destination concepts should note how tightly design is tied to a recognizable identity here.
• Merchandise widens the revenue base. Tumblers, totes, and customizable jars turn a dessert stop into a gift-shop moment. For foodservice operators, the takeaway is that branded retail and add-ons like the new Nutella Peanut Spread can lift check averages without adding kitchen complexity.
• Order-ahead is now table stakes. Even a bucket-list café is adding pickup and digital waitlist features to capture time-pressed guests. Hospitality technology that reduces friction and manages lines is no longer a nice-to-have—it's an expectation, especially in high-volume, high-tourist locations.

With the café approaching its 10th anniversary in 2027, the renovation signals a next chapter built to scale the experience. For anyone rethinking their own flagship, retail mix, or ordering flow, it's a timely reference point.

For more on how operators are rebuilding programs for scale, see our look at the new economics of craft and reengineering beverage programs, and how brand partnerships are setting new standards.

Have you visited the Nutella Café on Michigan Avenue—or are you rethinking your own experiential retail play? Drop your take in the comments and tell us what's working in your market.

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 founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.