Starbucks after dark? Not quite - but Starbucks evenings are here
Date night fun!
The sign near the door
All those first dates you have at Starbucks can turn into second dates now. The coffee chain and site of many, many awkward Match.com encounters has begun an offering called "Starbucks Evenings," with liquor and small plate on the menu. So meet me for coffee can turn into meet me for a glass of wine.
My local Starbucks in Woodinville Wash., about 30 minutes outside Seattle, is hawking its new happy hour pretty hard, as you can see from the pictures. Businessweek says the coffee giant has already tested the idea in select locations around the country, including Los Angeles, Portland, and even Washington D.C.
As a coffee shop worker....I mean independent journalist...I love the idea of drinking coffee all day and slipping into wine at the end of the night. Still, I fear this really means Starbucks has done some market research and found out that the number of places where people can go an enjoy a glass of wine or a cold beer with friends -- bars -- are slipping away. That's certainly true in Woodinville.
Would you get wine -- or bacon-wrapped dates, or truffle mac & cheese, or artichoke and goat cheese flatbread -- at Starbucks?
The food menu