Starbucks in RSM Gets OK to Sell Alcohol

They will be offering "last call for alcohol" at Starbucks in Rancho Santa Margarita.

City planning commissioners agreed unanimously on Wednesday to approve a conditional use permit for the coffeehouse giant that allows the at its store in the Lowe's Center.

It will be Starbucks' first California location to offer adult drinks in addition to its menu of coffees. There are currently three such stores in the Seattle area, and one in Portland. It is part of a that intended to includes a store in Huntington Beach, Coronado and Calabasas. City leaders in Coronado rejected the expanded menu and for a liquor license.

"I've been to the store in Issaquah (Wash.)," said commissioner Kent Hayden, "and it doesn't have the feel of a bar. It's very discreet and very well done. ... Having seen the one in Issaquah, it was a first-class operation. It's a coffee shop where, by the way, you get get a glass of wine or a beer."

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In addition to beer and wine, the menu will also expand to include such items as macaroni and cheese, hot flatbread pizza and dessert items.

According to Monica Kochert, the regional director for south Orange County, and Anthony Le, the senior design manager, Starbucks is looking to transition to the new format on Sept. 7, with flexibility on either side of that date.

"No later than the end of September," Le said, "but ideally mid-August."

As a condition of getting a Type 41 alcohol license from California's Alcohol Beverage Control, the store must continue to be "a bona fide public eating place."

Currently, Rubio's, Spike's Fish House, Philly's Best and Selma's are nearby eateries that serve alcohol.

The CUP also allows the store to add an outdoor patio of 325 square feet that can accommodate 16 people who wish to sit. 

Commissioners worked language into the permit that allows some additional expansion of the patio area—at the discretion of director of development services Kathleen Haton—to allow for larger "soft chair" seating. Brad McGirr expressed the commission's concern for expansion of seating that would entice people "to party" on the patio for hours.

Although the store was recently remodeled, the revamped store will get additional enhancements.

"The stance in the northwest is that these (locations) are community hubs, and you see a glass of wine on the table next to a cup of coffee," Kochert said. "We're trying to create a balanced environment and not just serve one part of our base. People want to go to places with their kids and have a glass of wine."

Kochert said it was "extremely important" that the environment—which currently includes many students who use the store to study after school—not change.

Alcohol can only be consumed on site, with sales from 2 p.m. to closing at 10:30 on Monday through Saturday, and from 2-9 p.m. on Sunday. Last call will be 30 minutes before closing. Additionally, there will not be a wait staff to serve beer and wine; patrons will have to order it much the same way they currently order coffee.

The planning commissioners also requested that Starbucks add a video camera for the patio area and its secondary entrance/exit door as well.

The new model includes the sale of craft beer and wine, and after Peter Whittingham suggested Starbucks contact nearby Cismontane, a brewery in Rancho Santa Margarita; McGirr pulled out his phone and then provided the number to Kochert and Le.