Seattle’s Best Coffee Picks Chicago for Launch of New Coffee Drive-Thru Concept

Seattle’s Best Coffee Unveils New Breakthrough Menu Featuring Birthday Cake Lattes, Coffee with Flavored Creamers and Freshly Baked Food Every Day

Seattle's Best Coffee opened the doors -- and drive-thru window -- of its new coffee drive-thru concept in Northlake, Ill on March 19, 2012. Designed to meet the needs of the more than 36,000 commuters in the suburban Chicago neighborhood, the concept boasts never-before-seen coffee beverages, freshly-baked food items and other car-friendly sandwiches and snacks. (Photo: Business Wire)

CHICAGO--()--Seattle’s Best Coffee, part of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX), today opens the doors -- and drive-thru window -- of its new coffee drive-thru concept in Northlake, Ill. Designed to meet the needs of the more than 36,000 commuters in the suburban Chicago neighborhood, the concept boasts never-before-seen coffee beverages, freshly-baked food items and other car-friendly sandwiches and snacks.

“Our customers are constantly on-the-go and they tell us that finding great coffee options that fit their busy lifestyles is tough. They’re sacrificing great tasting coffee and food for speed and convenience, and we can put an end to that,” said Jim McDermet, senior vice president and general manager of Seattle’s Best Coffee. “We’ve designed all elements of this concept with a focus on world-class drive-thru service and because of our history as a coffeehouse brand we can also guarantee the highest-quality coffee and food with a smile.”

An easy-to-navigate menu board design and straightforward pricing let drivers clearly see the quality and value the brand is delivering. Coffee drinkers can meet their basic coffee needs with a choice of Original or Dark and they can stir things up with flavored creamers allowing them to have their coffee exactly the way they like it, at no extra cost. Featured in the center of the menu board are the brand’s new signature beverages like Caramel Candy and Birthday Cake lattes, and Caramel Pretzel and S’mores mochas.

“In this location we’re debuting our revamped coffee and food menu based on what customers have told us is important,” McDermet explained. “And we’re excited to welcome the discerning taste buds of Chicagoans to our fast, friendly and delicious drive-thru experience.”

The entire food menu is designed to deliver car-friendly options for any time of the day. For the first time, the brand will offer fresh-baked muffins, cookies and multigrain bars. Breakfast sandwiches are available on either a biscuit or a muffin, and warm pretzel bread stuffed with a choice of either turkey or ham round out hearty lunch options. Snack items include Sour Cream Coffee Cake, individual Caramel Apple Pies and a Cheese Pretzel Danish.

This new coffee drive-thru concept will serve as a learning lab for the brand as it evolves its retail presence to meet the growing demand for premium coffee on-the-go. Real-time results from this store will inform menu strategies for the current base of nearly 100 cafes as well as future locations. Seattle’s Best Coffee is on a mission to bring its delicious coffee to new and unexpected locations where, traditionally, it’s been hard to find great coffee. This strategy has led to incredible growth in the brand with nearly 1 billion cups of its coffee enjoyed every year.

Seattle’s Best Northlake: Hours and Location

Located in Northlake, Ill, 14 miles from downtown Chicago, the new retail location at 101 West North Avenue is within the parking lot of Walmart at West North Avenue and N. Wolf Road. The drive-thru will be open Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 6 a.m. to midnight.

About Seattle’s Best Coffee

Seattle’s Best Coffee LLC has been roasting premium coffee since 1970 and today roasts more than 20 million pounds of coffee every year and millions of cups of our coffee are served every day. A freshly-brewed cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee is currently available in more than 50,000 locations including cafes, college campuses, restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, grocery stores and movie theatres. Seattle’s Best Coffee is a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX). For more information, please visit Seattle’s Best Coffee online at www.seattlesbest.com and become a member of the coffee community at www.facebook.com/SeattlesBestCoffee or @SeattlesBest on Twitter. For information about our retail franchise opportunity, please visit www.seattlesbest.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50207896&lang=en

Contacts

Seattle’s Best Coffee
Jenny McCabe, 206-318-7100
press@seattlesbest.com
or
Zeno Group
Sarah Rosanova, 312-396-9711
sarah.rosanova@zenogroup.com

Contacts

Seattle’s Best Coffee
Jenny McCabe, 206-318-7100
press@seattlesbest.com
or
Zeno Group
Sarah Rosanova, 312-396-9711
sarah.rosanova@zenogroup.com