Salt Lake City is getting the first American outpost of Knoops, a British chocolate-drink chain known for turning hot cocoa into a customizable, coffee-shop-style ritual. The new cafe opens at 907 E. 900 South, next to Vessel Kitchen, on Aug. 21, taking over the former Spilt Milk storefront in the 9th and 9th neighborhood.
Knoops will offer free small drinks during its opening weekend, staying open from 6 p.m. to midnight on both Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, according to Axios. The chain has not yet announced its regular operating hours. Knoops specializes in gourmet hot chocolate and other chocolate-based drinks, and the Salt Lake City shop marks its first foray into the United States after building a footprint across the United Kingdom and beyond.
The company traces back to 2013, when founder Jens Knoop opened his first shop in Rye, East Sussex, believing that drinking chocolate deserved the same level of craftsmanship and choice that coffee had achieved. He partnered in 2018 with serial entrepreneur William Gordon-Harris, who had visited the original Rye shop with his children before proposing an investment partnership aimed at scaling drinking chocolate into a global rival to coffee chains, according to Forbes.
Why Utah, and Why Now
Salt Lake City was chosen as the launchpad for an initial cluster of three Knoops locations across Utah, with plans to build a dedicated USA Knoops at Home production facility to supply its chocolate flake retail line, per MCA Insight. Company leadership reportedly views physical stores as adoption engines that introduce customers to its at-home brewing products before expanding wholesale distribution nationally.
Utah's beverage culture makes it a logical testing ground. More than 60% of the state's residents belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose health guidelines discourage alcohol, coffee, and tea, a demographic pattern that has helped fuel Utah's drive-thru soda and dessert shop boom, according to KSL. That same abstinence-driven demand has already made Utah home to nationally known dessert brands including Swig and Crumbl, per the Axios report on the new opening.
Knoops arrives in Salt Lake City backed by strong financial momentum overseas. The chain sold more than 3 million chocolate drinks across its UK store network in 2025, while wholesale sales of its Knoops at Home chocolate flakes surged 170% year-over-year, pushing total company revenues past £20 million, or roughly $25.5 million, MCA Insight reported. Like-for-like store sales grew 12% during the 2025 holiday season, the same outlet noted.
The 'Knoopology' Behind the Menu
Central to the Knoops concept is what the brand calls Knoopology, a customizable ordering system built around more than 20 distinct cocoa percentages. Options span from a sweet 28% white chocolate sourced from Colombia to a 100% extra-dark single-origin chocolate from the Philippines, with customers able to further tailor drinks using various milks, spices, and herbs, according to City A.M.
To staff the new shop, Knoops has been recruiting local baristas, called Knoopologists, along with shift leaders and assistant store managers, at listed hourly wages ranging from $21 to $25. Employees reportedly receive training on cocoa percentages and drink craft to help guide customer orders, per job listings reviewed by Indeed.
A Global Chain With Bigger U.S. Ambitions
The Salt Lake City opening is just the first step in a far larger plan. Knoops intends to open 160 stores across the United States by 2032 as part of a global expansion strategy targeting more than $500 million in annual revenues and thousands of locations worldwide, the Retail Bulletin reported.
That growth push has already taken the chain into Dubai, where it opened in November 2024 and has since grown to three Middle East stores, alongside a joint venture agreement with Haiguihai Group to launch flagship locations in China. Knoops reportedly plans to add 30 international locations annually starting in 2026, per MCA Insight's coverage of the company's expansion. To manage that scaling, the company appointed former Game Group chief executive Martin Long as chief financial officer in 2025 and added Lush co-founder and former Hotel Chocolat chairman Andrew Gerrie to its board of directors.
Filling a Storefront in a Changing Corridor
The 9th and 9th commercial district has seen notable retail turnover recently, including the closures of Spilt Milk cereal bar, whose former space Knoops is now taking over, and Barbacoa Mexican Grill, alongside ongoing local debate over restrictive business district zoning, according to Building Salt Lake. The 900 South storefront sits along a popular dining corridor next to Vessel Kitchen.
Whether Knoops' high-end, customizable drinking chocolate model can carve out space against Utah's dessert heavyweights, or whether it becomes another entrant in a churning retail strip, remains to be seen. For now, Salt Lake City residents can find out for themselves starting Aug. 21, when the doors open and the free drinks start pouring.
