Popular coffee chain Starbucks has been making headlines lately with the recent announcement of new projects such as a delivery service and the introduction of wine, beer, and tapas to Starbucks locations across Canada.</p>
Though the delivery service will only be available in select U.S. locations, the new evening menu will be coming to select locations across Canada. It will include wine, beer, flatbreads, olives, nuts, and cheeses, as well as a carbonation station for juices and teas.
As for your local UW Starbucks? Business as usual. Starbucks is on its way to campus, but it won’t be bringing anything new with it.
According to director of UW Food Services Lee Elkas, “The beer, wine, and tapas program is currently only being tested in remote test markets and won’t be offered to the UW campus.”
However, the regional stores (including the highly anticipated campus location opening in April) will be a part of the La Boulange menu expansion. The new pastry menu includes most of the old favourites (double chocolate brownie, blueberry muffin, and marshmallow dream bar), but adds in a chocolate danish and an almond croissant, among other things. The main selling point for La Boulange? All pastries will be served warm.
The long awaited campus Starbucks will be opening in the new Science Teaching Complex. It will be “similar to that of a Starucks on other university campuses like Wilfrid Laurier, the University of Guelph, or Western University,” Elkas said.
The three-tier rewards program, My Starbucks Rewards, which was launched in 2009, will also function fully at the campus location, allowing members to collect stars and redeem rewards.
The coming of Starbucks marks the third big coffee chain to come to campus, joining multiple Tim Hortons with varying levels of service and a William Fresh Cafe with a partial menu.
“We anticipate a full-service franchise with both food and beverage menu choices,” said Elkas.
The campus Starbucks, originally scheduled to open in April, will begin service in September 2015.
