It’s A Chocolate Drink

Two flavors are offered: bittersweet, and spiced, zipped up with chiles and cinnamon. Both are blends of three types of European chocolate, steamed milk and vanilla. The chain, which promotes them as “a crazy chocolate experience,” expects the taste for Choco Bon Loco to continue long after winter ends. “It’s a chocolate drink,” insists Jim Fisher, vice president of marketing for the 230-unit chain. “It’s not hot chocolate.”

Choco Bon Loco targets customers looking for the next new thing. “As we travel around New York City, we see that chocolate cafes are becoming popular. We anticipate growth in consumer interest,” Fisher explains.

Chocolate is a universal flavor, one that Max Brenner believes transcends all cultures. "The cliché about everyone loving chocolate really is true," he says. Later this year, Brenner will open the first Max Brenner Chocolate Bar in New York City; a dozen units already are scattered across the globe, with eight in Australia. Chocolate drinks—straight and gently laced with liqueurs—desserts and pastries will be the menu mainstays.