Alcohol at Starbucks? Beer & Wine To Be Served At Select Coffeehouses

You saw it right: Starbucks (SBUX) plans on offering beer & wine at select coffee shops in Southern California by the end of the year. Now customers will get an entirely new afternoon option not offered at Dunkin’ Donuts (DNKN), McDonald’s (MCD), or Panera Bread (PNRA).

Starbucks plans to bring the beer and wine menu to four to six stores in Southern California as well as a small group of locations in Atlanta and Chicago. According to Los Angeles Times, customers will also be able to order premium foods such as small plates and hot flatbreads.

Testing has actually already begun in hometown Seattle, where five locations are offering beers for $5 and wines by the glass for $7 to $9.

As one might expect, some people are skeptical.

“If I wanted a beer, I’d go to a bar,” said Doug Tanaka, 48, a police officer who lives in Valencia. “I bring my grandkids in here. I don’t want to have to deal with a drunk if I’m having coffee.” (via LA Times)

However, this move does differentiate the company from competitors McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, and others.

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Do you think this move into alcohol will be successful on a national or international level?

Starbucks plans on opening 800 new stores in 2012, and the company will report last quarter’s earnings on Thursday, according to The Los Angeles Times.

For a closer look at Starbucks stock (SBUX), use Kapitall tools to dig deeper.

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*Written by Alexander Crawford.