Would you like your beer to be a venti? That question may be put forth by Starbucks baristas in the near future if the renowned coffee franchise sees a growth in its Evening Day-Part Concept. Established earlier in the year in selected markets in the United States, the coffee chain has expanded its menu to offer beer, wine and premium food in its stores after 4pm.

“Building an evening day-part is a natural progression for us as we are always looking for ways to evolve and enhance the Starbucks Experience based on what our customers are telling us,” said Clarice Turner, senior vice president, U.S. Operations. “We’re pleased with the response of our customers to the introduction of wine, beer and premium food at several of our stores in the Pacific Northwest, and we’re excited to see how the idea translates to other markets.”

Since first introducing the Evening Day-Part concept at its Olive Way location in Seattle almost two years ago in a pilot project, Starbucks has seen success creating a new occasion for customers later in the day through an expanded food and beverage menu. Five stores in the Seattle area and one in Portland, Oregon currently serve wine, beer and premium food. Earlier this year, Starbucks announced plans to bring the concept to five to seven locations in the Chicago area by the end of 2012. Atlanta and Southern California will each see four to six stores, also by the end of the year.

As part of an enhanced menu, these stores will serve new premium food such as savoury snacks, small plates, and hot flatbreads as well as wine and beer. The wine and beer list will be hand-selected to reflect local customer tastes and preferences, and will be refined over time. In addition to providing a product assortment not traditionally found at Starbucks, these stores will incorporate flexible seating to accommodate individuals and small groups as well as larger parties that want to host community meetings or other events such as book clubs.

We wonder how long before Starbucks attempts to bring the Evening Day-Part concept to its overseas markets in Asia.