The Street Seen: Starbucks Changes
2901 Main Street @ Ashland
Rumors were that Starbucks’ replacement of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at Ashland and Main would be an upscale Starbucks Reserve. Nope. After a long wait, it is set to open as a bare-bones Starbucks Pickup. None of the usual last-minute goodies, home-brew coffee bags, or branded mugs that pepper the shelves of a traditional Starbucks. No cash register. No seating inside or outside. No public bathrooms. The days of sitting on the side walk mulling over your screen play with a frappuccino are over. Grand opening June 30, 2022.
Starbucks Pickup, launched in November 2019, is tailored to customers who prefer to order ahead and pay through the Starbucks mobile app for pick-up, or those who want their Starbucks delivered. Starbucks found that, even prior to Covid-19, about 80 percent of transactions were for "on-the-go" orders. This insight led the company to devise a new strategy that could capitalize on changing customer behavior. Over the next 18 months, the company plans to close 400 company-owned locations and open 300 new futuristic pickup-only stores.
The 1-story wood frame, building was constructed in 1987 on a vacant lot for a Banana Republic store. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf took over in 1995 - and lasted till 2020. Like most of Main Street, the lot is Santa Monica zoned Neighborhood Commercial (NC). Restaurants, 2,500 square feet and smaller, do not require a use permit. City wide, residentially adjacent Limited-Service and Take-Out Only restaurants may operate from 6:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m.