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Robin Shreeves

I’ll take a Venti Pinot Grigio, please

Starbucks is piloting a café that serves beer and wine alongside their coffee.
Fri, Jul 17 2009 at 12:59 AM EST
Read more: GREEN BUSINESS

Photo: Marco Pako/Flickr
In the past few months, I’ve written about Starbucks honoring those who volunteer with free coffee, taking the lead in keeping coffee cups out of the waste stream, and making their food healthier. Not one of those things has actually gotten me to step into a Starbucks, however. I’m still completely devoted to my local coffee bar.
 
The coffee company’s latest move, however, might get me into a Starbucks-owned store. They’ve just announced that they are adding wine and beer to the menu in one of their Seattle stores and testing the concept of a café that offers coffee, tea, beer, wine and nighttime entertainment.
 
Reuters reports that the new café won’t be called Starbucks. It will be called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, and will be on the site of a Starbucks that was slated to close later this year.
 
Right now, it’s a pilot program, but if it flies, more non-Starbucks cafés could follow.
 

With all of the moves that Starbucks has been making towards sustainability lately, it would be a smart move to stock the new cafés with a variety of local and sustainable beer and wine choices. That could get me to walk through the doors of their café. Of course, I’d better walk all the way home, too, because after a Venti Pinot Grigio, I’m not driving. 

 

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Comments(5)

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Posted By Anonymous - Sun, Aug 02 2009 at 1:29 PM EST

Peet's, take a look

It's time we stop trying to find reasons that justify a stop at Starbucks (who turn every goodwill gesture into a marketing campaign). Take a look at much smaller Peet's Coffee and Tea. They have the first LEED certified coffee roasting plant in the US. They don't advertise it, they just do it because it's right. Now an article about them would be rad!

Posted By Robin Shreeves - Mon, Jul 20 2009 at 5:57 PM EST

From some of the other pieces I've

read on this - they don't want to differentiate too much from other places. They just want to be a neighborhood cafe - except they're owned by big business.

Posted By Matt Hickman - Fri, Jul 17 2009 at 3:42 PM EST

Design wars...

Apparently, a neighboring business owner of the new S'bucks joint in Seattle isn't too thrilled about the establishment's reclaimed/vintage decor scheme ... looks like it hits too close to home. Never a dull moment in the Seattle coffee scene!
.... More

Posted By Robin Shreeves - Mon, Jul 20 2009 at 5:32 PM EST

Thanks

for the extra info Matt.

Posted By GreenErinF - Fri, Jul 17 2009 at 10:14 AM EST

...

Great article, Robin! very funny. It should be interesting to see if this concept takes off and what will differentiate it from other places.

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