Food_-_Evening_Stores_(3)It was November when the first “Starbucks Evenings” store debuted near our neighborhood at the Shops at Park Lane, offering traditional coffees during the day but transforming into a wine bar with tapas-type bites at night. Clearly, the concept has caught on because now the alcohol-inducedĀ Starbucks dot the map in North Texas, including the location on La Vista at Gaston.

InitiallyĀ launched in Seattle in 2010, the concept has been spreading rapidly. The coffee giant picks which location will offer the new menuĀ based on evening traffic demands, according to a news release, and where they can get a license to peddle beer and wine.Ā They already have a captivated demographic it seems, noting thatĀ 70 percent of their customers are wine drinkers, compared to 30 percent of the general population. The wine menu was curated by a sommelier; the food offerings includeĀ flatbreads, mac and cheese and pita dips; and locations offering it willĀ overhaul their design to draw in an evening crowd.

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It should mean big business for Starbucks, USA Today reported the move could net $1 billion by 2019 with plans to open “Evenings” at more than 2,000 of Starbucks’ 12,000 locations nationwide.

You can swing byĀ the free wine tastings everyĀ Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m.