CHICAGO -- The line between banking and retail services has gotten a little bit blurrier. To bring in new customers, an ING Direct Cafe will soon open in downtown Chicago in what will be the fifth U.S. branch for the direct financial services provider, said The Chicago Tribune.
Although it will not contain a convenience store element, the branch features cafe-style seating, as well as a coffee and pastry bar. The interior decor includes an orange motorcycle with an ING Direct logo. The sign in the window says "Coming soon," but a menu is already posted. [image-nocss] Drink prices are $1.50 for coffee, $3 for a cappuccino and $3.25 for a smoothie. Buy four drinks and get the fifth for free.
With a motto of "Sip, surf and save," the cafe also offers free Internet access at computer kiosks, as well as free Wi-Fi access. LCD TVs are scattered throughout the office and in the window, with a scroll inviting passersby in with a sign that says "Eat before you shop."
The branch also features a rack of newspapers to pass the time and a 20-seat theater done up in ING Direct's raucous orange.
The branch also sells ING Direct-branded products, including duffel bags, fleece jackets and water bottles. For children, there's a toy "Savings Machine" and titles such as "The Everything Kids' Money Book."
And the branch offers banking products and services, of course. They include Orange savings accounts, certificates of deposit, mortgages, business loans and investment accounts, said the report.
ING Direct, part of Netherlands-based ING Group, has cafes in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Wilmington, Del. The Chicago location will open this summer, the newspaper said.
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