L.B. Starbucks looking to serve wine and beer

Christina Daly/Herald

The Starbucks on West Park Avenue is looking to serve wine and beer as well as small dinner dishes in the evenings. It filed for a wine and beer license earlier this month.

Christina Daly/Herald

The possibility that wine and beer could be added to the menu at the Long Beach Starbucks has generated mixed feelings among locals.

Christina Daly/Herald

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Starbucks is known for its foamy lattes and mellow atmosphere, but the baristas in Long Beach could soon be serving more than Frappuccinos if the company rolls out a menu that includes wine and craft beer.

The Starbucks at 101 W. Park Ave. filed an application with the State Liquor Authority on Oct. 2 for a wine and beer license as it considers launching its new Evenings menu, which the company added at two dozen locations around the U.S. in August, including one in Manhattan and another in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Long Beach would be first location on Long Island to serve alcohol as well as small dinner dishes such as truffle macaroni and cheese, bacon-wrapped dates, and flatbreads.

The application is still pending. “We consider a broad range of products and experiences for each neighborhood,” a company spokeswoman said. “… It’s a long and thoughtful process, and the permit filing is just one of many steps we take.”

However, a store manager, who declined to be identified, said that the new menu is expected to launch early next year. “I think people have been craving this,” she said, “and we’ve gotten a lot of questions about when Starbucks is going to do this.”

The company announced earlier this year that it would feature the new items at select locations, a concept that is expected to generate $1 billion in additional annual sales by 2019, according to USA Today.

The company first announced in 2010 that it would add wine, beer and dinner fare at some of its stores, part of an effort to boost traffic after 4 p.m., when sales tend to slow. The company also said there has been a demand for dinner options as well as wine and beer in the evening among customers.

“I definitely think it’s going to be a different crowd than those who would be looking to go to a bar,” the manager said.

The news has generated some mixed feelings among locals, with some saying that they looked forward to having wine and specialty beers in a relaxed setting, and others saying that it could change the character and atmosphere of the shop.