Would you go to Starbucks for beer or wine?

via USA Today:
"The Starbucks of the future arrived today.

If Starbucks (SBUX) executives have it figured out right, this could be the prototype for the next generation of stores for one of the world's most influential brands.

A very different kind of Starbucks is on tap. It will serve regional wine and beer. It offers an expansive plate of locally made cheeses — served on china. The barista bar is rebuilt to seat customers up close to the coffee.

Most conspicuously, the place looks less like a Starbucks and more like a cafe that's been part of the neighborhood for years — yet that's "green" in design and decor. This is the calling card of independent java joints that have been eating and sipping away at Starbucks' evening business for decades. U.S. Starbucks stores get 70% of business before 2 p.m."

Would you go to Starbucks to throw back a beer or sip on some wine?

Tags: Starbucks, Would, beer, for, go, or, to, wine?, you

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Amy Wong on October 19, 2010 at 7:12pm

Urgh.....more reason for Starbucks to be not made available here in Brunei! But I do love their frappes, and I'll always remember Starbucks as a coffee place than a bar. I think I might go there, just as long they don't get crazy drunk people and make too much noise.

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Permalink Reply by alice on October 20, 2010 at 8:48am

I hear ya, Amy. It'll be interesting to see how Starbucks transforms (especially at night)...

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Permalink Reply by JT on October 19, 2010 at 7:46pm

i have only 3 things to say about this:

we don't have a Starbucks here (Brunei)- would be nice but my life carries on w/o one
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its an alcohol free country (prohibition state)- so forget it
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i never pay more then Sgd$5 for a coffee- so forget it even more ;p

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on October 19, 2010 at 11:18pm

So do you guys make moonshine or what?

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Permalink Reply by JT on October 20, 2010 at 12:42am

LoL...course not...non-Muslims like myself are allowed to bring in from the neighboring Malaysian border towns 12 beers & 2 bottles of liquor once every 48 hours & consume it in the privacy of our homes.

there are no bars,pubs,clubbing or public consumption or sale of alcohol of any kind here,which i am actually for cos i believe its one of the reasons we have low serious crime rates...heck our cops don't even pack a piece while on regular public patrols...

but ppl get busted all the time for not declaring the booze they try to smuggle in through the borders...usually those ppl who intend to sell it illegally for like 3 to 5 times the actual cost...

that's my Brunei Kevin...moonshine sounds so hillbilly...do ppl still make those over there?

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Permalink Reply by Laura P on October 20, 2010 at 8:53am

You'd be surprised what some people make in their basements....

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on October 20, 2010 at 9:52am

People do brew beer in their home but for some reason it is still illegal to make your own liquor.

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Permalink Reply by sAm on October 20, 2010 at 10:01am

Thanks for sharing, love to hear how people live around the world!

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Permalink Reply by James Lynch on October 20, 2010 at 12:50am

I never use Starbucks, they have a few here in Ireland, but i will only frequent my local independent coffee shops. The same will go for bars. I don't frequent franchise bars. Shop local and ensure your money stays in your community and benefits other locals like yourself.

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Permalink Reply by JT on October 20, 2010 at 1:32am

is it me or does it seem like ppl would pay so much for a cup of coffee cos of the brand on the to-go coffee cup..i grew up on our so called mommas & poppas diner coffee shop $0.80 brewed coffees...it really makes no sense to me to fork out over $5 over 'a cup of coffee'.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on October 20, 2010 at 9:54am

I'm right there with you. I support local businesses as much as I can especially places like restaurants and coffee shops. Plus, the coffee there is really not that good anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Laura P on October 20, 2010 at 7:59am

I don't see why we'd need a starbucks bar.... I suppose it's a good marketing idea to build on a brand that is so well known but at the same time there are other places for beer and wine. I'd rather go to the one local restaurant in the city where everything is made from some kind of beer.