Starbucks planning takeout-only store with no customer seating in the Fan
Jack Jacobs photo)
A Starbucks. Hold the dining area. One shot of takeout.
That’s what the Seattle coffee giant has ordered for one of its latest Richmond-area locations, a takeout-only store in the Fan near VCU’s campus.
Starbucks plans to open the new-to-market concept at 1115 W. Main St. in an existing commercial building next door to a 7-Eleven. The property is owned by Mark Wilson, who said he believed the location would be Starbucks’ first such outpost in Virginia.
“It’s a new concept for Starbucks and this will be the first one in Virginia to have this concept,” property owner said on Thursday. Wilson declined to comment further.
Brave New World
Even in the best of times, opening a restaurant is a risky endeavor. Opening a restaurant during a pandemic is essentially uncharted territory. While Richmond has lost a number of independent restaurants due to pandemic pressures, including gems that helped shape the dining scene, the region has also witnessed an influx of new dining establishments. We look at some of these recent additions, from a chef-driven pizzeria in Scottâs Addition to a Black-owned juice bar in the Fan and an urban oasis in Fulton Hill. Although face masks, takeout boxes and COVID protocols were not a part of the ownersâ original visions, they have embraced concepts they hope can thrive in the current climate, exhibiting the tenacity restaurateurs are known for.