As I poked around the web for everything and anything coffee related, I came across a news story that highlights Starbucks coffee selling beer and wine at some of their shops in southern California.
Although I haven’t soften my stance on talking about Starbucks (or another national chain restaurant) on In the ToGo cup, I think this might be something note worthy. Some of the comments on the story are against the move, comparing the introduction of a beer and wine selection at a coffee house to turning it into a bar scene or a “meat market”. Some talk as though the addition of alcoholic beverages to coffee shops is akin to the downfall of society and the end of coffee culture as we know it.
One commenter stated why should Starbucks stop at beer and wine…”Why not sell cannabis too?” he asks.
What? Really?
With some of the anger projected at the company for this announcement, my first thought is…”wow…um, do these people live where the only coffee house around is a Starbucks? How miserable is that?”
But in all honesty, I can see how living in the suburbs can leave you without choices for coffee.
Even though I’ve come around on my loathing for Starbucks coffee, I’ve been in the West End longing for an independently owned coffee shop, but only finding the cup tied by a chain.
If these folks lived in Richmond, VA the question of adding a beer/wine selection to the drink menu wouldn’t be “why?” but, “what took you coffee geniuses so long to figure this out? And while you’re at it how about some live music for a change?”
I guess some coffee drinkers like to segregate their drinking habits, but if winding up for your day begins with your favorite cup-a-joe at a coffee shop, why not come down in the evening at a relaxing spot, such as a coffee shop, with a glass of cabernet sauvignon?
Richmond coffee shops and cafes have been doing this for years because its a smart business decision. If you’ve been in a coffee shop in the evening and you’ve talked to the owner, they’ll tell you not enough people crave coffee in the evening to keep their bills paid and the lights on. And if they don’t stay in business, the surrounding community looses much more than just a place to grab a morning cup of coffee.
Plus, people are a lot less rowdy when consuming alcohol in a coffee shop because the atmosphere is completely different than the beer-chucking-meat-market-sports-bars people usually associate with social drinking.
(Not to degrade “beer-chucking-meat-market sports-bars”. Hey, if it’s their thing…well then, good on ‘em.)
Simple put, a coffee shop is not a bar, no matter how much beer is on tap or how much malbec is in your glass.
So, on the subject of adding beer and wine to their menus, I have to side with Starb’s.
Because in our many RVA coffee shops, we’re not afraid to mix our drinks.
And haven’t been for years.
Thanx for viewing.
k!
BTW…if you want to read the article, read some of the comments or join the conversation you can check it out at the LATimes.
