Starbucks to Add Third Location Offering Beer & Wine
ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Starbucks plans to offer a different kind of jolt to customers here, as the Issaquah store along Northwest Gilman Boulevard will soon become the third Starbucks to offer beer and wine.
The other two stores offering it are in Seattle and Portland, Ore.
According to the Issaquah Press, the coffee giant filed for a liquor license last month and is preparing to renovate the Issaquah location later this summer. The project is due to start in early August and should be completed in late September. Plans call for the location to remain open during construction, although some seating might be unavailable at times.
The overhaul is part of Starbucks' inaugural attempt to offer alcohol options and additional menu offerings in a suburban setting. The customer base and buzzing traffic at the Issaquah store will offer the Seattle-based company a chance to further test the concept.
"It's a very mixed-use store. You've got every type of Starbucks customer there, from students to businesspeople to folks meeting with groups after work," spokeswoman Stacey Krum said.
The proposed design includes reclaimed wood, including a bar fashioned from salvaged telephone poles, and, in a nod to the Issaquah location, a metal-and-wood art piece inspired by the autumn salmon run. There will be different seating options, as Starbucks rolls out a more flexible format so customers can move furniture for gatherings. The concept also will include a children's area.
In addition, Starbucks plans to add a Clover brewing system to the Issaquah store. The stainless steel machine uses vacuum methods to produce a cup of coffee considered superior to the result from a drip coffee maker. Starbucks baristas, or partners in company language, operate a handful of these machines at Seattle stores, according to the newspaper.
"Partners can do coffee tastings and really help people figure out, do they like Latin American coffees? Are they more interested in something from Sumatra?" Krum said.