Starbucks Canada Expands Menu, Adds Beer, Wine, Tapas End 2015

The Starbucks franchise in Canada wants its customers coming back and pouring in the place during evenings. So to make this a reality, it has decided to expand its menu to include a specially formulated selection that's geared to attract evening customers. By end of 2015, lovers of Starbucks coffee in Canada could order wine, beer and tapas, including flatbreads, olives, nuts and cheese.

Rossann Williams, Starbucks Canada president, in an interview with the Toronto Star, said the expanded menu selection will be seen at the coffee chain's locations in Toronto and other big cities before 2015 closes. Called Starbucks Evenings, the selection will be offered to customers only after 4 p.m.

Williams said Starbucks Canada is actually in for a lot of surprises in 2015. Apart from the evening menu, there are plans of creating customized, carbonated beverages, plus adding new food offerings. The franchise also plans to delve into the delivery segment. The company is also slated to launch an app that makes use of a mobile pay-and-order option. It will enable customers to make purchases of their favourite Starbucks beverage anywhere they are and then pay for it. When they come to the store, they can bypass lineups when they pick their orders.

Also on the drawing board are plans to establish more drive-through locations on Ontario's busy highway 401. Suffice to say, the plans are all part to counter flat coffee sales, the Star said.

Starbucks Canada, which came in 1987, leads the list of countries that have the most Starbucks locations per person. A research from Quartz magazine released in May 2014 showed Canada has 40 Starbucks locations per one million people. Compared to the U.S., the latter only has 36 Starbucks locations per million people. But Starbucks Canada has faced stiff competition, including from McDonalds, which has managed to topple the franchise as the second-largest coffee player in Canada by market share, after Tim Hortons, market research firm NPD Group said.

Williams said they asked customers what they want to see from Starbucks Canada moving forward, and the innovations are their reply to the clamor. She forecast food to become a big driver of sales and traffic for the chain. In March, the franchise will open a line of warm pastries called La Boulange to encourage customers to purchase not just their usual coffee concoction, but also grab a bite to go with it.

Pascal Rigo, French chef and La Boulange Bakery founder, said he will be offering the same items he had placed in the Starbucks U.S. locations two years ago. These include soups, grilled cheese, ham and cheese croissants and other sandwiches.

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