Seattle’s Best opens drive-thru-only unit

Seattle’s Best Coffee opened a drive-thru-only “mini store” Wednesday that will serve as a model for future growth.

A secondary brand owned by Starbucks Corp., the 100-unit Seattle’s Best Coffee has been testing a drive-thru for much of this year after opening a “learning lab” location, as company officials called it, in a Chicago suburb in March.

At about 600 square feet, the new mini location, in a Seattle suburb, is about 65 percent smaller than the Chicago test unit, and it represents a transformed strategy as a drive-thru brand, the company said. The company plans to open more drive-thru locations in additional markets beginning in 2013.

“Customers are demanding better coffee everywhere they go, and we believe we’ve cracked the code on how to deliver a premium cup of coffee in the fast lane at just the right price,” said Jim McDermet, Seattle’s Best Coffee’s senior vice president and general manager. “We have completely overhauled our store concept, both inside and out. Our drive-thru store features a new menu of affordable, delicious and car friendly beverages and food for customers who need a one-stop destination without any compromises, any time of the day.”

The new mini store will appeal to the growing number of consumers who buy coffee on the go, Seattle’s Best said. The NPD Group estimates that 12.4 billion coffee visits were made through drive-thru restaurants, an increase of 2 percent over the previous year.

Pledging to bring premium coffee to places where it’s least expected, Seattle’s Best over the past few years has been building its presence in nontraditional places, like Chevron Extramile locations, college campuses, medical centers and airports. Earlier this year, Seattle’s Best announced an agreement with Coinstar Inc. to roll out new automated coffee kiosk machines in grocery and retail stores.

The menu at the new Seattle’s Best drive-thru includes traditional coffeehouse standards, along with more unique dessert-inspired coffee drinks, such as birthday cake lattes, caramel candy lattes and s’mores mochas, available as hot, iced or frozen drinks. Brewed coffees can also be customized with flavored creamers.

Food offerings include breakfast sandwiches on muffins or biscuits; pretzel melts stuffed with ham and cheese, turkey and provolone or spinach and feta; and sweet and savory Anytime Pies, including spicy mac ‘n’ cheese, cheese egg and potato, or caramel apple. The menu also features value combo meals, such as a breakfast sandwich and any size coffee for $3.49; any pretzel melt and any size soda for $4.29; an Anytime Pie and any size coffee for $2.99; and oatmeal and any size coffee for $2.79.

Seattle’s Best said the mini store’s layout allows baristas to more efficiently assemble orders, offering speed of service that matches industry drive-thru expectations. The mini store also includes a window for walk-up orders and customers on bikes, and a window-wrapped design allows customers to see their order being made.

Seattle’s Best last year lost almost 475 retail outlets that were in Borders bookstores when that chain liquidated.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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