Starbucks Evenings Menu Coming to Thousands of Locations

NEW YORK –- Starbucks Corp. will expand its evening menu, which includes wine and food items such as chocolate fondue and truffle macaroni and cheese, to thousands of its locations over the next several years, according to a Bloomberg report.

"We've tested it long enough in enough markets -- this is a program that works," Chief Operating Officer Troy Alstead told the news outlet. "As we bring the evening program to stores, there's a meaningful increase in sales during that time of the day."

The move is part of Starbucks' long-term plan to nearly double its market value to $100 billion, the company announced.

Starbucks first offered alcohol for sale at a Seattle store in October 2010, then expanded the test program to up to 25 locations in Chicago, Atlanta and Southern California. The evening menu is currently available at approximately 40 stores.

Alstead acknowledged that the evening menu will not work in all Starbucks locations, but it has seen success in urban areas where people are out at night.

The company will also expand and improve its mobile apps and rewards program. Mobile payments account for 14 percent of in-store transactions in the United States, according to the report.

To promote its tea offerings, Starbucks will offer Oprah Winfrey-branded chai tea at U.S. and Canada stores starting April 29. Money from the tea's sales will be donated to charities supporting youth education. Starbucks also reported plans to open at least 20 Teavana stores during the current fiscal year.