TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Tucson is one step closer to allowing alcohol to be sold at Starbucks. The city council voted Tuesday night to approve the coffee giant's application for a liquor license at one Starbucks location, on the corner of Speedway and Country Club.
The vote only means the city council recommends it to the State Liquor Department, which has the final say.
A liquor license notice is currently posted at the Speedway and Country Club location. Starbucks has been testing the booze market for years, starting in Seattle five years ago as a way to keep up in the ultra-competitive restaurant world. A marketing move that Tucson customer Gillian Haines understands. "I'm sure there are downtimes perhaps in the evening when people go to dinner when they don't come to the coffee shops so this is a way draw people in," said Haines.
The online menu includes a selection of wines and curated craft beers alongside a list of small appetizer-like dishes served in the evenings.
The concept apparently has worked expanding to more than 70 locations across the nation.
And it's about to go into hyperdrive in Arizona. 17 liquor licenses are pending in cities throughout the state, including Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale. Plus another location in Pima County in the Casa Adobes Plaza on Ina.
With no opposition from the nearby neighborhood and city council, both the Speedway and Ina locations will likely be approved by the state liquor department by January 20th. Once that happens the stores can begin to serve alcohol immediately.
