Introduction:Actor Daniel Wu has opened his first physical coffee shop, WHATEVER COFFEE, on East Dadao Road in Chengdu. The shop features a minimalist black, white, and gray design and serves classic coffee beverages, with prices ranging from 20 to 34 yuan. This experimental store-in-store concept reflects how celebrity brands are finding their niche in the highly competitive coffee market.

Recently, the well-known actor Daniel Wu launched his coffee brand WHATEVER COFFEE (literally “Whatever”), unveiling its first physical outlet on East Dadao Road in Chengdu, which quickly became a popular spot for social media check-ins. This store-within-a-store, co-located with a barbershop, uses a minimalist black, white, and gray color palette to create a low-key and relaxed atmosphere.

According to on-site observations, the store has a separate entrance on the side of the building and operates as a store-in-store. The counter area displays exclusive coffee cups personally signed by Daniel Wu, which have become a focal point for many visitors’ photos.The brand logo was hand-drawn by Daniel Wu, featuring a line-art style mask motif that symbolizes shedding societal roles to return to one’s true self.This aligns with the carefree attitude conveyed by the brand name “WHATEVER.”

The menu focuses on classic coffees and simple flavored drinks, with a relatively low proportion of specialty offerings. The price range falls between20 and 34 Chinese yuan. This streamlined strategy embodies the brand’s core philosophy of “simplicity and casualness,” avoiding the operational burden that comes with an overly complex product lineup.

In fact, the market layout for WHATEVER COFFEE began as early as June last year. In addition to making an appearance in November at the Wuxi Coffee Carnival in the form of a mobile coffee truck, the Chengdu East Dadao Road location is considered the brand’s first physical testing ground. According to insiders, the brand team has already selected a site in Chengdu’s Eastern Suburb Memory and plans to launch a second standalone outlet in the second quarter of this year.

Notably, although the brand counts Daniel Wu as a shareholder, he is not involved in daily operations. This model of celebrity endorsement without direct management is quite common among entertainment industry figures crossing over into the coffee sector. After netizens discovered the shop, a wave of meme culture quickly emerged online, including humorous comments such as “Give it up, Ah Zu—everyone’s drinking Luckin now,” reflecting the public’s mix of anticipation and curiosity toward celebrity-run coffee shops.

Observing the product structure, WHATEVER COFFEE adheres to its minimalist philosophy and does not follow current market trends such as pour over single-origin coffees or specialty-processed beans.The pricing strategy for its drinks is similar to that of international chains like Starbucks and %Arabica, but it does not offer seasonal limited editions or localized specialty drinks and other differentiating items. This conservative approach helps ensure quality stability in the early stages, but may limit the brand’s ability to establish a distinct identity in the long run.

Looking at the recent phenomenon of celebrities entering the coffee market, from JJ Lin to Jay Chou and others who have successively invested in the space, most initially gained high popularity through fan effects. However, once consumers become more rational, professional details such as control over extraction parameters, selection of coffee bean roast levels, and service process efficiency become the key factors determining whether a shop can sustain operations. WHATEVER COFFEE’s first move clearly opts for a steady approach of quietly testing market response.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.