San Leandro may get two more Starbucks
irm asks city for permission to build drive-through facility at Bayfair Center
SAN LEANDRO — Coffee drinkers who love sipping on caramel macchiatos and mocha frappuccinos will be happy to know that two more Starbucks are expected to come to town next year. According to city records, a conditional use permit/site plan review application for a drive-through Starbucks at Bayfair Center has been submitted to the planning department. The drive-through is being proposed adjacent to the new Chili’s restaurant, which is near completion.
Starbucks spokeswoman Amanda Dierdorff confirmed the plans and said the company is hoping to open there by next summer. San Leandro already has four Starbucks throughout the city, not including kiosks inside two major grocery store chains.
Although there are dozens of Starbucks across the East Bay, few have drive-through windows. Dierdorff said that as the coffee company continues to look for locations, it plans to develop different store types like the one at Bayfair. “Drive-through locations provide a convenient alternative for many of our customers, such as moms with sleeping children in their cars, and commuters and customers in bad weather who prefer to stay in their cars,” she said. “Starbucks strives to have drive-through locations become a larger mix of their store portfolio by introducing them in areas where customers are not currently being served.”
While Dierdorff would not confirm a new Starbucks location at the former Evergreen Nursery site at 1057 MacArthur Blvd., records show the coffee giant has submitted tenant improvement plans to the city.
This store is proposed at the southern-most space of the mixed-use property and is expected to have a small amount of outdoor seating. Owners of the nearby independent coffee shop Sabino’s worry that competition from the coffee heavyweight eventually will put them out of business.
Betty Li, who co-owns Sabino’s with business partner Jan Xing, said Sabino’s has been at 1273 MacArthur Blvd. for 14 years, with five of those years under their ownership.
Li said the developer of the former nursery site, Hennigen Construction Inc., originally had told them Starbucks would not be a new tenant some time ago. However, last month, Xing said, the developers had changed their minds.
Li said she has a steady stream of loyal customers who visit the coffee shop daily, but she fears that its good coffee, personable service and community connection may not be enough to keep it afloat at some point.
“We feel kind of hopeless, like no one can help,” she said. “We’re just trying to see how long we can survive.”
Tasha Bartholomew can be reached at (510) 293-2471 or