Starbucks expands sale of beer, wine and dinner plates

The Starbucks evening menu includes items like spinach artichoke dip, meatballs, chicken skewers, bacon-wrapped dates and cheese plates (see the full menu here).

That brings the total number of stores now offering the “Evenings” menu to more than 75. Many of the stores will be redesigned to become more conducive to evening gatherings with additional lounge seating.

The roll out began with a location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but will continue with locations in Denver, Miami, Orlando and Northern California.

A coffee shop might seem an unlikely place to go in the evenings, but an expanded menu and booze makes Starbucks a place to launch and land after a hectic day.

Just in time for the autumnal hand-crafted beverage season, Starbucks is launcing its long anticipated “evenings” program.

Starbucks stores in the Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, Oregon and Washington state, were the first markets to test beer and wine, USA Today notes.

The new menu also attracted groups that might otherwise meet at someone’s home, such as knitting groups, book clubs, and Bible study groups, according to USA Today. “Starbucks partnered with various wine chefs to identify the perfect complement to the wine and beer assortment as well as coffees”, a company statement said.