M. Jericho Banks PhD

Starbucks Looks to Put Life Into Nighttime Business

January 25, 2012

FROM RETAILWIRE:
According to reports, Starbucks is expanding a six-location West Coast test of beer and wine sales to as many as 25 locations around the country by the end of the year. Will Starbucks adding beer and wine at some locations be a success or will it alienate core customers at the chain?      [more...]

As a former bartender, I am very familiar with the "aroma" of a bar. It's "eau de spilled beer" and doesn't lend itself well to coffeehouse smells. Turning Starbucks into a bar might sound like a good idea in a boardroom, but the associated decorums can be polar opposites. The tame, polite customers served before 11 a.m. are not so tame and polite with a few belts under their belts (and/or suspenders). When sales are not promising enough, do you initiate Ladies Night with the resulting hunter/hunted atmosphere? Do you change the music?

Contrary to what some have written here, this is not a core customer issue. Beer, wine, and darkened hours will attract a different kind of customer, one which may only rarely intersect with the coffee crowd or affect them in any way. Some questions, though: Can I get a shot of Baileys in my double-shot latte at 7 a.m.? Does Baileys make soy, low-fat, or non-fat versions?