Starbucks and the Booze Crusade

The Olive Way Starbucks in Seattle just made my “top 10 places to visit” list. This store is testing out an “after 4pm mood menu” that’s sporting craft beers, wines, and local cheeses. They keep locals amped up with espresso by morn and then transform into a suave, relaxing café by night. Starbucks thrives because of the “home away from home” atmosphere they provide. I expect that by extending this new menu their customer traffic will multiply by 10 (at least).

The United States has put such a negative stigma on alcohol consumption that just doesn’t exist in other countries. If Starbucks adds wine and beer to their roster of fabulous drinks across their nation-wide establishments and portrays the new additions as a classy social affair, maybe it’ll start a new trend that allows café-goers to unwind a bit, without creating a booze-slogging atmosphere. After all, how many partyers feel the magnetic pull of a café?

And think of the impact it’ll have on the singles scene! We all know it’s a bit passé to meet a first date at a bar, but mingling at coffee shops is practically second nature. The new ambiance that Starbucks is aiming to create is said to be more reflective of community spirit that will gain back that local feel that has been long lost from this coffee giant.The question is: how steep will the price of a Grandé amber ale run? Starbucks is well known for dipping deep into customer pockets. The novelty may be fun for a while, but the cost of double tall lattes, fine cheese and Merlot will jack up the tab pretty fast. That said, I would be quite content to live in a world where great coffee and great beers can co-exist in the same location.




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