Starbucks Coffee Co. is making a push to convert some of its metro Denver stores to the Starbucks Evenings concept, serving wine, beer and bistro-style appetizers.
Coffee House Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of the Seattle-based coffee-shop king, submitted beer and wine license applications for at least seven Colorado locations.
Public hearings are scheduled this month for Starbucks stores at 1406 14th St. in Larimer Square; 200 Fillmore St. in Cherry Creek North; and 10339 Tower Road in Commerce City’s Reunion neighborhood.
The city of Denver also has received applications for stores in high-traffic neighborhoods, including 250 Columbine St. in Cherry Creek North; 303 16th St. in Republic Plaza; 2975 E. Colfax Ave., near the Bluebird Theater; and the REI flagship store at 1416 Platte St., according to Department of Excise and Licenses hearings manager. Those hearings are scheduled for July and after.
If the liquor licenses pass state and city muster, wine and appetizer service could start by the end of the month, employees at the Commerce City and Larimer Square locations said.
Starbucks declined to divulge specific information about Starbucks Evenings cafes in Colorado.
“We take great care in evaluating the right coffee and food experience for each individual store, including the evenings menu,” spokeswoman Holly Hart Shafer wrote in an e-mail. “And, as you’ve probably seen, we’re in the very early stages of considering Denver for the Evenings menu. It’s a long and thoughtful process, and the permit filing is just one of many steps we take.”
Starbucks, which started rolling out its Evenings concept in October 2010, now sells wine, beer and appetizers at more than 35 shops in the areas of Seattle; Chicago; Los Angeles; Atlanta; Washington; Orlando, Fla.; and Portland, Ore. At these stores, bistro menu foods are served all day, but liquor sales typically begin at noon on weekends and 2 p.m. on weekdays.
Adding a menu tailored to attract customers in the evenings could help Starbucks bolster sales in a typically slower part of the day, said John Imbergamo, a restaurant consultant with Denver-based The Imbergamo Group.
The Starbucks Evenings menu, which includes cheese plates and bacon-wrapped dates, also vaults the coffee shop into the fast-casual restaurant niche, he said. This positions Starbucks stores in places such as Larimer Square and Cherry Creek as an alternative to fancier sit-down restaurants nearby, he added.
However, Imbergamo also sees some risks.
“I don’t want to underestimate the savvy and marketing talents of Starbucks,” he said, “but it’s just a little tough to believe that people are going to sit at a Starbucks at night with a glass of Merlot and a flatbread pizza.”
Commerce City spokeswoman Michelle Halstead said the addition of a Starbucks Evenings menu could be an economic development boost. The city and the Tower Road area, in particular, are booming.
“It’s a very popular location,” she said. “It will be even more.”
Alicia Wallace: 303-954-1939, awallace@denverpost.com or
