Starbucks has applied for yet another beer and wine license, this time for the location across from the Transamerica building, at 565 Clay St.
We reported last week that the Seattle-based chain had filed for beer and wine licenses at 685 Beach St. in Fisherman's Wharf and 280 King St. in SoMa. We also previously reported that an Inner Sunset store at 744 Irving St. was slated to sling drinks, though a liquor license for that location has yet to be filed. But there were some conflicting reports, and the company wouldn't confirm or deny what its exact plans were.
Today, we finally got some answers. Starbucks spokesperson Holly Shafer says the coffee purveyor is only filing for the licenses on a preliminary basis, as it tries to determine which stores could be good candidates for its Starbucks Evenings program of local craft beer, wine and small plates served after 4pm. The concept has been rolled out in Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Portland, Orlando and Washington, D.C., and Starbucks has applications pending for beer and wine at stores across the Bay Area, including Alameda, Burlingame, Millbrae, Mountain View, Napa, and San Mateo.
"We are in the beginning stages of looking at the San Francisco area," said Shafer, which doesn't necessarily mean any of the given locations will become Starbucks Evenings stores. "The approval process is a long one," she said. "It could take a month or six months for a permit to go through, or not at all, depending on if it's a store we want to go through [with] offering this type of experience."
When asked why Starbucks chose these specific locations from among San Francisco's numerous outposts of the chain, Shafer said that Starbucks seeks out stores whose customers have a "high coffee IQ," which translates to more sophisticated tastes in other areas, such as beer and wine.
Shafter said that hours are not expected to change at any stores that offer alcohol. We also asked the Planning Department if conditional-use authorizations would be needed for Starbucks to sell beer and wine. The city laws are (surprise) a bit complex, but in short, we were told that the zoning district allows it for the FiDi and Fisherman's Wharf locations.
The SoMa location, meanwhile, is located in the Mission Bay North Retail Land Use zone of the Mission Bay North Redevelopment Plan, and it appears that Starbucks would also be allowed to serve beer and wine there, based on the current zoning. "The Mission Bay North Retail Land Use zone allows for a variety of retail uses, including restaurants and bars," said Hilde Myall, senior development specialist at the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure. "Those types of tenants are typically interested in ABC licenses for on-site consumption. Those types of uses would be permitted."
