After expanding to nearly every block in the nation, with 20,100 stores total and 11,500 here in the United States, Starbucks Coffee has directed recent efforts towards improving their menu. The new business plan will update the evening drink and snack options to attract more customers and, after four years of successful testing and tasting trials, add a new segment of beverages that will drive all you college party fiends wild: alcohol.
Before you start popping off twelve-dollar bottles of champagne and preparing your weekend’s leftover beers for a celebratory shotgun, this popular coffee chain has decided to keep it low key and classy with a seasonal beer selection, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Malbec wine. With that being said, a more appropriate celebratory move would be a restrained sip of a glass of CVS wine.
Other bold moves for the coffee empire include the recent purchase of Teavana, a rapidly growing tea retailer, and Oprah Winfrey branding her own special variety of Chai Tea with Starbucks agreeing to donate some of its proceeds to charity. This is all part of a grand scheme to double their market share to a whopping one hundred billion dollars.
Via: myfoxny.com
“We’ve tested it long enough in markets- this is a program that works. As we bring the evening program to stores, there’s a meaningful increase in sales during that time of day,” said Chief Operating Officer Troy Alstead.
I was initially surprised at the thought of the entire nation’s neighborhood coffee shop turning into a dimly lit bar scene once five pm hits, but it turns out this ambitious business venture really isn’t such a bad idea. No one wants a seven hundred calorie coffee the size of a postage stamp in the late afternoon; one sip of those sugary drinks will keep you going all day long. A menu designed for the evening is perfect to attract customers during prime nighttime hours, offering drinks and evening appetizers to help one relax rather than stay up all night. I am, however, having a little trouble imagining a family of four in the Starbucks’ drive-thru ordering cake pops and Pinot Grigio to go.
According to Bloomberg News, six stores have already implemented the change in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Beer is sold for five dollars and varying brands of wine are between seven to nine dollars, which isn’t too bad considering the high prices charged for assorted coffee beverages. The new menu includes flatbreads, truffle Mac ‘n’ cheese and bacon wrapped dates to boot.
Via: starbucks.com
The beer, wine and upgraded menu selection will only be offered at select stores that are large and offer extra seating. They will also be located in urban areas near movie theaters and restaurants with an active nightlife. This means that unless library west expands the first floor, we won’t have supremely convenient access to a glass of wine and a cheese plate while we pour over the books.
Keep your fingers crossed, because if all goes well, your Midtown pregame just might include a flatbread and hearty glass of Starbucks wine.
Featured photo courtesy of: E! Online
