Baresha, a beloved New York deli at Varick and Charlton in Hudson Square, closed its doors earlier this year, making way for Luckin Coffee's expansion into the US. The Chinese café chain, which opened its first US stores last summer, now operates about two dozen locations across New York City. This shift reflects broader geopolitical currents, as Luckin seeks redemption following a $300mn accounting fraud exposed in 2020 that led to its Nasdaq delisting and bankruptcy filing.

Founded in Beijing in 2017, Luckin rapidly expanded to 2,370 stores and raised over $1.5bn through public offerings before its collapse. Co-founder Charles Lu and CEO Jenny Qian were removed after the fraud was uncovered, with the company later settling SEC charges for $180mn. The arrival of Luckin in neighborhoods like Hudson Square illustrates how Chinese companies navigate international markets amid strained US-China relations.