Lucienne's ongoing mission is to define and build the "American Kissaten." By combining the Japanese Kissaten and the American coffee shop, we hope to create something new.

The "American" part of this is important, as we do not think it is possible to reproduce foreign phenomenon (i.e., the kissaten, which are a byproduct of unique cultural and socioeconomic conditions at a very specific time and place) domestically without warping it into something that misses the mark entirely. In other words, context is key.

Many Americans visit Japan and wish they had kissaten at home. "Why don't we have this in America?" they ask themselves. Some even go on to try and copy/reproduce these businesses in America (and New York City). However, the context of New York City (and our country) distort the end vision greatly.

At best, we get a "themed" café; the veneer of the kissaten pasted over an otherwise normal café; the surface level aesthetic of the kissaten. It's hollow and devoid of anything you might call "authentic" which in itself is a completely subjective term.
Like using a flat head screwdriver on a phillips screw, it sort of works...but the experience is clumsy.

At worst, you end up with a grotesque caricature; one that appropriates and fails to respect the aesthetic and the cultural context. It may come off as contrived and offensive. You are using a phillips head screwdriver on a flathead screw. You will accomplish nothing and strip it of any usefulness...and the experience is awful.

Neither outcome is very satisfying.

Instead, Lucienne wishes to lean into the distortion. We think that the American lens has an incredibly unique quality, and that it can render something far more satisfying and beautiful if we stop trying to force a vibe that simply isn't there. By embracing this, we believe the American Kissaten will come naturally.

We strongly believe that should you choose to give us your hard earned dollars, it is is our responsibility to make your day measurably better.* To that end, we believe everything is important when it comes to creating uplifting experiences for the people we serve. From the way we say hello, to the coffees on the menu, to the vessel we serve your drink in; it must all be carefully considered.

There is no point to existing if we offer a merely “whelming” experience. While plenty of coffee shops can make great coffee (especially in Brooklyn), it is rare for a coffee shop to make a great experience. We can do better.

We believe in reflexively excellent hospitality, and that reflex is honed through mindfulness, empathy, practice, and the continuous improvement of our craft.

*"10% better than real life."

Lucienne is a space where everyone feels welcome, safe, seen, and heard. We want to create a safe harbor for all kinds of people in the community, whether you need to work on a spreadsheet, get away from your crap roommates and cry, or otherwise feel uncomfortable or disenfranchised in other spaces and simply want a space to safely occupy and communicate freely.

Lucienne is explicitly non-discriminatory; an island that welcomes all. The café used to be a space where all sorts of people would gather and civilly* exchange ideas, even if they were fundamentally different, opposing, or made you uncomfortable. We believe that this is fundamental for a healthy democracy to function, and want to bring that back. In a city like New York, spaces like this are weirdly rare, and we wish to provide at least one.

To be clear, Lucienne welcomes you no matter your : race, color, creed, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, income, religion, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, housing status, citizenship status, political belief, parental status, if you are a recipient of public assistance, your genetic info, height, weight, or veteran status.

*As in, be nice. Do no harm, and do not infringe on any other person's rights.

If we were concerned with what most people like, we'd just serve syrup based drinks, but that's boring.

We want to do things our way. We are not bound by convention or industry “best practice” or whatever brewing method has the most likes that week. Lucienne just wants to make what it likes, put it out in the world, and see if other people like it too. Maybe that will result in something new and novel, or maybe it’ll just be a disaster.

Lucienne is painfully aware of it's own carbon footprint, as well as the human effects of every business decision we make.

• Even if we are small, we can still choose to be a more ethical, less extractive business. While being “green” is not Lucienne’s core brand or focus, we at a minimum do things like buy organic, use compostable packaging, save energy/water, recycle, and use reusable cups/utensils where possible.

• We compensate people fairly for their time and effort with us, whether they be at a farm, a warehouse, or the café.

• We treat our producers and suppliers as equals. You will not find savior complex language on this website.