Can you imagine yourself stepping up to the counter of your local Starbucks and ordering a glass of pinot grigio alongside a bowl of truffle mac 'n' cheese? Well, your fantasy of the coffee chain becoming more than a destination for Frappuccinos and hilariously misspelled names might just be turning into a reality.
Beginning this Wednesday, August 19, the company's Williamsburg location on North 7th Street will be the first of New York's many Starbucks (there are nine every square mile, after all) to introduce its new "Evenings" menu, aimed to attract more visitors to the coffee shop later in the day. Available from 4-9pm, this new, seemingly high-end selection of food and drinks will include wines and craft beers (including four local varieties from nearby Brooklyn Brewery), alongside shareable small plates, like spinach artichoke dip with pita chips and meatballs in tomato basil sauce.
Although Starbucks may be an unlikely place to meet with friends to grab some drinks and tapas (and the initiative itself was originally met with criticism), the chain's vice president of concept innovation, Rachel Antalek, says that the Williamsburg location was the ideal spot to kick this new plan into action:
"We felt the vibrancy" in the community, she told DNAInfo. "This is [a neighborhood] that would really respond to having an evening gathering place."