by Kaelynd Brouillette ’29 on September 17, 2026
Opinion
The very first stop I wanted to make while I was back in Providence was The Nitro Bar, a coffee shop here in Rhode Island that has gained quite the cult following. People from across New England and the United States travel to Providence to try The Nitro Bar, but why? What makes standing in the ridiculously long line worth it? Is the coffee itself really that good, or is it something else that draws people’s attention?
The Nitro Bar started in 2016, when founders Audrey Finocchario and Sam Lancaster started a coffee cart, which they took to many local RI events. But, during the colder months, they partnered with many local restaurants and breweries to have their iconic nitrogen infused cold brew on tap. The next step for the business was their first brick and mortar location in 2018, which was very popular with locals, but did not have the overarching popularity it has today. That all changed around October 2023, when The Nitro Bar became a social media sensation. Their TikTok followers quadrupled, sales increased by 60 percent, and annual revenue climbed to roughly $4.5 million, creating The Nitro Bar we know and love today.
But, why? The two main reasons I believe The Nitro Bar has garnered such popularity are, first, effective social media marketing and, perhaps more importantly, a genuinely good product. The business uses its social media and growing popularity to lure customers in, then keeps them coming back by selling delicious coffee, food, and baked goods that are actually worth the hype.
The Nitro Bar’s social media strategy is not particularly complicated, but it is incredibly effective. Scroll through TikTok or Instagram long enough, and you’re bound to come across a video of the owner asking what the most popular drink over the weekend was, then making and trying it. The drinks are visually distinctive, the storefronts are recognizable, and the products are almost designed to be photographed.
The branding of the business on social media is important because The Nitro Bar is not just selling coffee, in my opinion, they are selling an experience; one that is meant to be shared with others online. A customer can spend a few dollars on a drink, post it online, and without realizing it, become a part of The Nitro Bar’s marketing strategy. There is also something inherently appealing about seeing hundreds of other people online seemingly obsessed with the same place. If everyone loves it, surely I have to try it too, right? The long lines, crowded storefront, and viral videos do not necessarily discourage people from going, either. If anything, they do the opposite. If everyone else is willing to wait in line, there has to be a reason, right? The line and crowdedness themselves become part of the experience.
A viral coffee shop can attract thousands of first-time customers, but social media alone cannot guarantee that those customers will return. There are countless restaurants and businesses that fade away once the online hype dies down, but The Nitro Bar seems to have avoided that fate because the product itself gives customers a reason to come back. This is where their popularity becomes more interesting to me. The coffee is good, the food is good, and the baked items are good. More importantly, there is enough variety that the experience does not feel like a one-time novelty. The business releases new and enticing drink varieties often, which keeps customers coming back. Social media gets customers through the door, but the product itself is what gets them to come again.
After making the trip to The Nitro Bar and standing in that ridiculously long line on a Saturday morning myself, I fully believe it is worth the hype. I myself was dragged in by social media curiosity, then the crowds reinforced that there was something to gain, and I keep going back because of the genuinely good coffee and food. I am a victim of The Nitro Bar’s business strategy, and so are you.