Happy Hour at Starbucks?

           This article was about a Starbucks chain in Seattle has announced it's going to spice up their menu a little bit. They will soon be offering alcoholic beverages and "premium food offerings" to their coffee shop. Some stores also say they are going to rearrange their seating plan to help accomodate groups and bigger parties for meeting or larger outings. I personally think it's weird, winding down after work at a Starbucks for a glass of wine? I don't know, I think they should keep it a casual coffe shop. I see where they are coming from though, they want to make it a more "around-the-clock" stop for their customers and make more of a profit by expanding their audience. Whatever, I'll still see it as a coffe shop and probably won't be stopping in for dinner any time soon.
          The main purpose of this article was to inform the readers about the new addition to the menu and to inspire them to voice their opinions about the change. After describing the change and reason for it, the last few lines ask readers "Do you think the menu makeovers will actually give these eateries a boost? Any of these new selections sound appealing to you? Tell us in the comments section." (Halzack 1). Those not-so-rhetorical questions are meant to be answered by the readers so Starbucks may gain some insight on how well this change might work out. The author also explains other popular eateries that have made similar changes. For example, Dunkin' Donuts offering lunch items in addition to breakfast, and Subway offering breakfast as well as lunch/dinner options. Those example of changes that worked persuade readers to think that this could be a positive and useful change and bring in more profits to Starbucks. 


http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/starbucks-happy-hour-is-retailers-latest-effort-to-expand-its-reach/2012/01/24/gIQAZ7DsNQ_story.html