Richmond Highway Starbucks to begin serving wine, beer

“Starbucks Evenings” are coming to the Route 1 corridor.

Starting approximately May 24, the Starbucks in the Mount Vernon Plaza shopping center (7696J Richmond Highway) will begin serving wine, craft beer and small plates, according to store manager Brian Harper. It’s one of a number of D.C. area Starbucks locations that are starting the “Evenings” program, which is essentially an expanded menu of food and alcoholic beverage options in addition to the chains’s traditional offerings.

The Mount Vernon Plaza Starbucks is finishing up a major renovation as part of the implementation of the “Evenings” menu, and work is expected to be completed in the new few days, according to Harper.

“New seating, new lighting, new flooring. It’ll be a lot more efficient for customers and [employees],” said Harper, who noted that the overall atmosphere of the coffee shop will not change. If you’re looking to have a drink and watch sports, he said, it’s still best to go elsewhere.

“We haven’t put in any televisions,” joked Harper.

The “Evenings” menu, including beer and wine service, will begin sometime in the early afternoon and continue until 30 minutes before closing. For now, the Mount Vernon Plaza location will continue to close at 9 p.m., but that could change if there’s enough business to support it, Harper said.

Update on 5/29/16: According to a sign in the store, this location will begin serving alcohol on June 7.

For more information about Evenings, check out “10 Facts about Starbucks Evenings Stores” on Starbucks.com.