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  • Starbuck's Evenings Continued..

    • 03/16/2016
    • ADB
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    Because We Asked — Starbucks Evenings Part 2

    Many who read the Starbucks Evenings articles here at Amercian Bars were stunned for several reasons. First and foremost, they had not heard of Starbucks Evenings and wanted to know more about it. Secondly, there was amazement that Starbucks could impact the English pub industry. That was explained in the first story. Finally, there were questions regarding locations in the U.S. as well as what they offer. They sent loads of material.

    Starbuck's Evenings

    Starbucks Evenings are enlarged stores that provide a curated menu of wine and craft beer, coffees and tea beverages as well as sharable small plates. To cull the information to a reasonable size, here are 10 facts Starbucks wants you to know about these stores in bold…and our comments follow in regular type.

    1. Way back in 2010, Seattle customers were the first to experience the Starbucks Evenings menu. It’s hard to imagine these places have been around for six years and there aren’t locations on every street corner by now. 

    2. There’s a demand for the casual meeting environment in the evening hours and Starbucks Evenings menu satisfies that need. Yes, the spin makes it sound as if there never has been a bar, lounge or restaurant that served beer and wine before. 

    Starbucks customers are already enjoying coffee at our stores in the evening, and now, they have more menu options including wine, craft beer and small plates.  Perhaps it is the craft beer that makes them stand out.                                                                                         

    3. Starbucks Coffee Quality team tastes 300-600 cups of coffee each day and influenced the process for selecting wines for the Evenings stores. If their team has less than 300 people on it, these folks are dangerously over-caffeinated. Additionally, it was not specified how coffee drinkers make excellent wine connoisseurs. 

    4. 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. See previous comment — ditto here.   

    5. The Starbucks Evenings menu varies per region.

    The Evenings wine and craft beer assortment is a reflection of the tastes in a variety of regions across the U.S. For instance, in the Pacific Northwest, customers will find Malbec, Alamos, Argentina and craft beer from Maritime Brewery, Old Seattle Lager. Those in Chicago are offered Malbec, Terrazas, Argentina and craft beer from Goose Island, Chicago, Goose IPA. This results in a combination of local and regional favorites that rotate over time. This is an interesting concept, however the prime sales point for Starbucks has been its consistency across the board. Your coffee in Seattle will be the same as anywhere else you enter a Starbucks. Thus, if you cannot order a wine or beer you enjoy locally when you visit elsewhere, there is a potential problem. 

    6. Starbucks customers are also wine enthusiasts.

    70 percent of Starbucks customers drink wine, as compared to 30 percent of the general U.S. population, according to Scarborough Research, Multi-Market 2013 R2 (Age 21+ Only) . Providing another occasion for these customers to visit Starbucks during the evening hours was natural for Starbucks – giving them a place to start and end their day. I will grant them that they did their due diligence on this point. Women especially enjoy wine and they tend to like places where they feel comfortable and safe. Starbucks does provide that atmosphere. 

    7. Research shows that Starbucks customers love beer too.

    Starbucks customers are two times more likely to drink craft beer than the national average, according to Scarborough Research .  Score another point for Starbucks. Yes, it stands to reason if people enjoy unique blends of coffee with personal touches, they would probably like limited craft beers over Bud and Coors. 

    8. Starbucks collaborated with wine chefs to develop the Evenings menu.

    Three square meals is a thing of the past. Consumer eating habits have evolved into a pattern of grazing or small snacks throughout the day, which helped influence the small plate assortment in Evenings stores. Starbucks partnered with various wine chefs to identify the perfect complement to the wine and beer assortment as well as coffees. From Truffle Mac and Cheese and Chicken Sausage and Mushroom Flatbread to Bacon Wrapped Dates with Balsamic Glaze – these options are delicious and less than 500 calories each. We tend to part ways here. This description is wonderfully crafted propaganda; the spin doctors at work. Seriously, most of us have three meal a day in addition to regular grazing and small snacks. This ploy is to cover up the fact that a 500 calorie meal is something most of us inhale in one bite. They promote it as “small plate meals.” We applaud the wordsmithing. Reality is that it is still a fancy, high priced snack that the people who enjoy specialty coffee and craft beer will love. The rest of us will still be hungry. 

    9. Starbucks Evenings stores feature distinct design elements.

    Starbucks® Evenings stores provide an inviting atmosphere for unwinding in the evening. Designers focused on experiential elements, such as innovative lighting, community tables that encourage conversation, soft seating, warm colors, and local art when developing these stores. Here is a key to success. Being a bar that does not resemble a bar and the fact that ones’ perception of Starbucks will remain “coffee shop” and not “bar” is a true and brilliant winner in terms of public acceptance. Bravo on this one! There are 70 now open with many more to come.

    10. Customer requests influenced the development of Starbucks Evenings stores.

    Starbucks has found that customers are spending a great deal of time in our stores during the afternoon and early evening. Their needs are reflected in the overall Evenings experience. From the menu to the environment, it’s purely influenced by extending the Starbucks Experience in the right way during the evening hours. Well, actually one would think the expert marketers and opinion researchers had a good deal to do with all of this, more so than a smattering of customers suggesting Starbucks stay open late and serve beer. This was a superbly planned and executed concept that was reinforced via survey, but little more. 

    We at American Bars salute Starbucks for their unique Evenings concept. Things change, even bars, and we applaud those who innovate as well as those who hold tradition. 

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Starbuck's Evenings Continued..

Because We Asked — Starbucks Evenings Part 2

Many who read the Starbucks Evenings articles here at Amercian Bars were stunned for several reasons. First and foremost, they had not heard of Starbucks Evenings and wanted to know more about it. Secondly, there was amazement that Starbucks could impact the English pub industry. That was explained in the first story. Finally, there were questions regarding locations in the U.S. as well as what they offer. They sent loads of material.

Starbuck's Evenings

Starbucks Evenings are enlarged stores that provide a curated menu of wine and craft beer, coffees and tea beverages as well as sharable small plates. To cull the information to a reasonable size, here are 10 facts Starbucks wants you to know about these stores in bold…and our comments follow in regular type.

1. Way back in 2010, Seattle customers were the first to experience the Starbucks Evenings menu. It’s hard to imagine these places have been around for six years and there aren’t locations on every street corner by now. 

2. There’s a demand for the casual meeting environment in the evening hours and Starbucks Evenings menu satisfies that need. Yes, the spin makes it sound as if there never has been a bar, lounge or restaurant that served beer and wine before. 

Starbucks customers are already enjoying coffee at our stores in the evening, and now, they have more menu options including wine, craft beer and small plates.  Perhaps it is the craft beer that makes them stand out.                                                                                         

3. Starbucks Coffee Quality team tastes 300-600 cups of coffee each day and influenced the process for selecting wines for the Evenings stores. If their team has less than 300 people on it, these folks are dangerously over-caffeinated. Additionally, it was not specified how coffee drinkers make excellent wine connoisseurs. 

4. 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. See previous comment — ditto here.   

5. The Starbucks Evenings menu varies per region.

The Evenings wine and craft beer assortment is a reflection of the tastes in a variety of regions across the U.S. For instance, in the Pacific Northwest, customers will find Malbec, Alamos, Argentina and craft beer from Maritime Brewery, Old Seattle Lager. Those in Chicago are offered Malbec, Terrazas, Argentina and craft beer from Goose Island, Chicago, Goose IPA. This results in a combination of local and regional favorites that rotate over time. This is an interesting concept, however the prime sales point for Starbucks has been its consistency across the board. Your coffee in Seattle will be the same as anywhere else you enter a Starbucks. Thus, if you cannot order a wine or beer you enjoy locally when you visit elsewhere, there is a potential problem. 

6. Starbucks customers are also wine enthusiasts.

70 percent of Starbucks customers drink wine, as compared to 30 percent of the general U.S. population, according to Scarborough Research, Multi-Market 2013 R2 (Age 21+ Only) . Providing another occasion for these customers to visit Starbucks during the evening hours was natural for Starbucks – giving them a place to start and end their day. I will grant them that they did their due diligence on this point. Women especially enjoy wine and they tend to like places where they feel comfortable and safe. Starbucks does provide that atmosphere. 

7. Research shows that Starbucks customers love beer too.

Starbucks customers are two times more likely to drink craft beer than the national average, according to Scarborough Research .  Score another point for Starbucks. Yes, it stands to reason if people enjoy unique blends of coffee with personal touches, they would probably like limited craft beers over Bud and Coors. 

8. Starbucks collaborated with wine chefs to develop the Evenings menu.

Three square meals is a thing of the past. Consumer eating habits have evolved into a pattern of grazing or small snacks throughout the day, which helped influence the small plate assortment in Evenings stores. Starbucks partnered with various wine chefs to identify the perfect complement to the wine and beer assortment as well as coffees. From Truffle Mac and Cheese and Chicken Sausage and Mushroom Flatbread to Bacon Wrapped Dates with Balsamic Glaze – these options are delicious and less than 500 calories each. We tend to part ways here. This description is wonderfully crafted propaganda; the spin doctors at work. Seriously, most of us have three meal a day in addition to regular grazing and small snacks. This ploy is to cover up the fact that a 500 calorie meal is something most of us inhale in one bite. They promote it as “small plate meals.” We applaud the wordsmithing. Reality is that it is still a fancy, high priced snack that the people who enjoy specialty coffee and craft beer will love. The rest of us will still be hungry. 

9. Starbucks Evenings stores feature distinct design elements.

Starbucks® Evenings stores provide an inviting atmosphere for unwinding in the evening. Designers focused on experiential elements, such as innovative lighting, community tables that encourage conversation, soft seating, warm colors, and local art when developing these stores. Here is a key to success. Being a bar that does not resemble a bar and the fact that ones’ perception of Starbucks will remain “coffee shop” and not “bar” is a true and brilliant winner in terms of public acceptance. Bravo on this one! There are 70 now open with many more to come.

10. Customer requests influenced the development of Starbucks Evenings stores.

Starbucks has found that customers are spending a great deal of time in our stores during the afternoon and early evening. Their needs are reflected in the overall Evenings experience. From the menu to the environment, it’s purely influenced by extending the Starbucks Experience in the right way during the evening hours. Well, actually one would think the expert marketers and opinion researchers had a good deal to do with all of this, more so than a smattering of customers suggesting Starbucks stay open late and serve beer. This was a superbly planned and executed concept that was reinforced via survey, but little more. 

We at American Bars salute Starbucks for their unique Evenings concept. Things change, even bars, and we applaud those who innovate as well as those who hold tradition. 

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