SEATTLE -- Starbucks will launch a lunch menu of grab-and-go salads and sandwiches made daily, with the leftovers donated nightly to local food banks through the Starbucks FoodShare program, the company said.
The new menu, Mercato, features options that meet a variety of dietary lifestyles.
The Mercato menu will start with more than 100 stores in Chicago on April 11, with plans to expand nationwide, the company said.
Starbucks said it saw a significant opportunity to drive more lunch sales through the new Mercato menu as well as via existing products.
Kevin Johnson, who will become Starbucks CEO on April 3, announced Mercato at the company’s 25th annual meeting of shareholders March 22. He reinforced Starbucks' approach to “elevating the brand across retail … reaching new customers and creating new occasions for customer visits.”
Starbucks has grown its food business by 1.5 times since 2013 and plans to double its food business by the year 2021, the Seattle-based company said.
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