BROOKLYN, N.Y.–Some days, you need something just a bit stronger than a frappuchino.
Since 2010, when a Seattle location opened, Starbucks has been experimenting with offering alcoholic beverages at select coffee shops, but the so-called Starbucks Evenings shops are popping up in more places.
Starting Wednesday, the coffee giant will begin serving wine and craft beer, as well as small dinner plates, at about two dozen additional locations, bringing the total number of Starbucks Evenings locations to more than 70.
Some of the first locations included shops in Seattle, Portland, California, Chicago and Atlanta.
Now the Northeast is catching on, though the only two locations with Evenings are currently the shop on the second floor of Macy’s in Herald Square, and the newest location in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood which opens on August 19.
The company has submitted liquor license applications for hundreds of its locations, according to USA Today, and its goal is to institute the program in 2,000 of its 12,000 U.S. locations by 2019, according to Business Insider.
The wines and beers will vary by location, and are intended to be local–so the new Brooklyn location will serve Brooklyn Beer, for example. Wine will be sold by both the glass and bottle.
Some of the small plates that are being added to the late afternoon and evening menu include truffle mac and cheese, artichoke spinach dip with pita chips, chicken sausage and mushroom flatbread, meatballs with tomato basil sauce and bacon-wrapped dates with a balsamic glaze. All of the small plates have less than 500 calories and cost less than $7.
The Evenings options are available after 4 p.m.
According to Starbucks.com, the team who tastes coffee everyday to ensure quality was put to work to narrow down a list of 500 wines to just 10 for the menu. An in-house sommelier led the charge.
The company’s website also states that it thinks the program will be a success; while 30 percent of Americans drink wine, 70 percent of Starbucks customers do.
