Starbucks Gives Up Quest For San Francisco Liquor License (For Now)

Image courtesy of eesti

For a few years now, Starbucks has been rolling out a plan to make some of its stores a more festive place to gather in the evening, which serve beer and wine. In San Francisco, the company applied for three licenses, and the city didn’t want to approve them, citing how many businesses with liquor license the city already has, and not wanting to set a precedent for approving booze in chain eateries.

Starbucks, it turns out, isn’t the only chain that has applied for a liquor license in San Francisco: the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Taco Bell has applied for one at its location one block from the stadium where the Giants play.

On Tuesday, the city’s Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that isn’t binding, but encourages the state authority that controls liquor licenses, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, to not approve new liquor licenses for existing businesses that haven’t had alcohol as part of their business model before. The city police are also opposed to the idea.

Despite that resolution, the state seems likely to approve the application from Taco Bell. Starbucks, however, has withdrawn the three applications, citing its interest in “working in partnership with the city.” A company spokesperson didn’t rule out bringing the Starbucks Evenings menu to the city at some point in the future.

Starbucks’ plan to sell alcohol grinds to halt in SF (via Fortune)

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