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Either coffee just doesn't pay the bills at night or allegedly studious grad students would rather booze because Starbucks will be serving alcohol at more Chicago shops. The chain's applied for city alcohol licenses for seven more shops. Starbuck currently pours beer and wine at four Chicago locations, as well as coffee shops in suburban Burr Ridge, Evanston and Schaumburg.
Starbucks has applied for licenses at: 1 E. Delaware Place; 520 N. Ogden Ave.; 4558 N. Kedzie Ave.; 1530 E. 53rd St.; 401 E. Ontario St.; and 1230 N. Wells St. It's an expansion of the chain's Starbucks Evenings program. That's where wine, beer, cheese and meat plates, plus other small bites are available. They tested it out in 2010, and expanded it to more locations last year, marketing it as an alternative to bars.
So does the prospect of booze make Starbucks more enticing? There's always free WiFi so customers can send alcohol-fueled emails. Oh, the sweet smell of regret.
