Starbucks Extending Evening Menu to Atlanta, SoCal

SEATTLE -- Starbucks continues to expand its offering beyond coffee with the rollout of beer, wine and premium food to more locations.

Its evening daypart concept initially launched in the Pacific Northwest, and the coffee giant made news not long ago with its plan to extend the concept to Chicago. Now, the retailer said it will expand the concept to select stores in Atlanta and southern California.

"Building an evening daypart is a natural progression for us, as we are always looking for ways to evolve and enhance the Starbucks Experience based on what our customers are telling us," said Clarice Turner, senior vice president, U.S. operations. "We're pleased with the response of our customers to the introduction of wine, beer and premium food at several of our stores in the Pacific Northwest, and we're excited to see how the idea translates to other markets."

Starbucks kicked off the evening daypart concept at its Olive Way location in Seattle this past October. The goal was to create a new occasion for customers later in the day through an expanded food and drink menu, according to the company. Today, five stores in the Seattle area and one in Portland, Ore. serve beer, wine and premium food.

Starbucks plans to bring the concept to five to seven locations in the Chicago area by the end of the year. The concept will be available at four to six stores in Atlanta, and the same amount in Southern California by the end of the year as well, the company explained.

The wine and beer list will be hand-selected to reflect local customer tastes and preferences, and refined over time. In addition to providing a product assortment not traditionally found at Starbucks, these stores incorporate flexible seating to accommodate individuals and small groups, as well as larger parties that want to host community meetings or other events such as book clubs.

"As our customers transition from work to home, many are looking for a warm and inviting place to unwind and connect with the people they care about," Turner said. "At select stores where it is relevant for the neighborhood, we are focused on creating an atmosphere where our customers can relax with a friend, a small bite to eat and a cup of coffee or glass of wine."

At this time, the evening daypart concept is only focused on Atlanta, Chicago, southern California and the Pacific Northwest.