Turns out that people want coffee at coffee shops and beer and wine at other places. Eighteen months after Starbucks expanded its “Evenings” menu of booze and small bites, the company plans to pull the plug on the offering.
The Seattle Times reports that Starbucks will stop offering the wine, beer, and small plates menu at more than 439 company-operated stores on Jan. 10.
The Evenings menu, which features decadent small plates like bacon-wrapped dates and truffle mac ‘n cheese, was intended to get customers in the door after their typical caffeine boosts.
Starbucks began experimenting with the Evenings program back in 2010 when it tested the menu in Seattle. In 2012, the company expanded the menu to cover a few cafes in Atlanta and Southern California.
In 2014, the company made plans to significantly expand the offering, deeming it to be a “program that works,” and that every time they made it available in a new location, “there’s a meaningful increase in sales during that time of the day.”
The next year, the company expanded the program to 70 more locations, with Rachel Antalek, vice president of concept innovations, noting that the company planned to implement the Evenings menu in more than 2,000 of the company’s 12,000 stores.
But those plans appear to be in the past, as the company says it will ditch the menu in favor of bolstering its breakfast and lunch offerings.
Last month, the company unveiled a goal to boost food sales to 25% of its business. To do so, it plans to add Sous Vide Egg Bites, a certified Gluten-Free Breakfast Sandwich, and additional Bistro boxes to add to its lunch lineup.
The Times reports that the company’s forthcoming high-end roasteries — where you can buy roasted limited-supply Reserve coffees that sell for up to $50 per eight-ounce bag — will offer wine, beer, and spirits.
In November, the company announced the chain was planning to open 1,000 of those mini cafes within Starbucks cafes by the end of 2017.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist