Glendale signs off on permit for Montrose Starbucks to serve beer, wine; state approval still needed

Starbucks baristas in Montrose could soon assume a second role — bartender — after Glendale officials signed off last week on a permit to sell beer and wine.

The coffee chain is looking to serve alcohol out of its storefront at Honolulu Avenue and Oceanview Boulevard as part of its Starbucks Evenings program, which is already up and running at nine Southland locations.

Of the nearly 30 conditions laid out by the city, the Montrose location would only be allowed to serve beer and wine — not hard alcohol — between 5 and 10 p.m.

Starbuck’s pursuit for city approval irked the close-knit business community because some shop owners felt the coffee chain didn’t reach out before applying.

But Starbucks representatives met with the Montrose Shopping Park Assn. in November and appear to have won some support.

“My preference is that it remains a coffee place, but that’s the future of Starbucks,” said Steve Pierce, who runs the Montrose Harvest Market. “But as long as their people are very open and communicative toward us that’s perfect; I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

Yet he’s still a bit skeptical as to how local Starbucks employees will be able to manage beer and wine sales, in addition to the usual coffee crowd.

“It can be a zoo there sometimes,” Pierce said. “Adding beer and wine mixed into that and asking [employees] to control it — and that people don’t abuse the situation — I think it makes a little bit more difficult for staff members.”

The city permit only allows beer and wine to be ordered with food and in transparent containers. Servers must be 21 years old. Alcohol can be consumed on the outdoor patio.

Also in its lengthy list of restrictions aimed at preventing Starbucks from resembling anything like a bar, exterior signs advertising the sale of alcohol are prohibited, as is dancing.

In addition to city approval, Starbucks must get the green light from the state Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.

Employees would be trained before they start serving, Starbucks said in a statement.

“Our partners have been trained on a comprehensive wine and beer service training program, and we’ve put standards and procedures in place to ensure responsible alcohol service and sound decision¿making,” the statement read.

Keith Glassman, owner of Glassman Planning Associates, hired by the coffee chain to help in the application process, said in a previous interview that alcohol must be handed from a barista to a customer, rather than left on the counter for pickup like a coffee order.

The city’s decision states there is an over-concentration of alcohol licenses in the immediate area, but the Glendale Police Department did not state any opposition to the Starbuck’s proposal.

More permits being sought down the road is a concern for Melinda Clarke, executive director of the Montrose Verdugo Chamber of Commerce.

Many area restaurants already serve beer and wine, or have full bars, and it’s preferable to keep things that way, Clarke said.

The Montrose cafe has been a good neighbor since opening in 2012, she said, but “We wish they would stay a coffee shop and let people go to those other businesses that are two doors down from the Starbucks.”

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Arin Mikailian, [email protected]

Twitter: @ArinMikailian