MIDTOWN EAST — A Midtown East Starbucks is hoping to add booze to its menu, wading the early stages of getting approval for a liquor license.
The Starbucks at 875 Third Ave., on the corner of East 53rd Street, is the latest to join a constellation of cafes seeking to expand its afternoon and evening menu to include beer and wine.
Representatives of the company confirmed the Third Avenue location is in the running for a license, but declined to go into detail.
More than 70 stores across the country are part of the mega-chain’s “Starbucks Evenings” program, with two New York locations currently slinging booze.
Two locations on the Upper East Side are in the process of scoring liquor licenses, and one in Williamsburg made the leap last month, becoming the first in the city to serve alcohol, offering four Brooklyn Brewery craft beers, 10 different wines, and a variety of small-plate meals starting at 4 p.m. The other boozy outpost is the Starbucks tucked into the Herald Square Macy’s.
The addition of a booze menu at the Williamsburg cafe came as an unwelcome gift to some neighbors, who started a petition to block the chain’s liquor license application, arguing it would harm local small businesses.
The State Liquor Authority ultimately gave it the green light, even though the community board in Williamsburg voted last year against supporting the mega-chain’s wish to serve beer and wine at a cafe on North Seventh Street, saying it was not in the public’s interest.
The Business Affairs and Street Activity committee of Community Board 6 will discuss the chain’s application at its Sept. 24 meeting, before the issue goes before the full board. The decision falls to the State Liquor Authority, but the Community Board plays an advisory role in recommending its approval.
