Starbucks Evenings stores provide a curated menu of wine and craft beer, coffees and tea beverages as well as shareable small plates, and are being rolled out across the US with a view to adding major new revenues in the next few years. No doubt the learning in the US will be applied internationally and, with the weight and expertise of Starbucks behind it, will present serious competition in some locations.
Here are some facts released by Starbucks about these stores:
- In 2010, Seattle customers were the first to experience the Starbucks Evenings menu.
- There’s a demand for the casual meeting environment in the evening hours and Starbucks Evenings menu satisfies that need. Starbucks customers already enjoy coffee at the stores in the evening, and now they have more menu options including wine, craft beer and small plates.
- Starbucks Coffee Quality team has some of the most refined palates in the coffee business, working daily to define flavor profiles and ensure coffee quality and consistency. Starbucks took the same approach when curating the wine menu through a small team of Starbucks sensory experts who tasted more than 500 wines to determine the 10 best to feature on the Evenings menu.
- Starbucks customers are also wine enthusiasts. 70 percent of Starbucks customers in the US drink wine, as compared to 30 percent of the general U.S. population
- Research shows that Starbucks customers love beer too. Starbucks customers are two times more likely to drink craft beer than the national average. They’re showing the same interest in the uniqueness of local and regional craft beers as they have for Starbucks regional coffees. S
Starbucks collaborated with wine chefs to develop the Evenings menu.