I’d expect a move this odd to come from Microsoft’s PR department.
people seem to gloss over the fact that these places will serve alcohol.
I know it will come as a surprise to some people, but its considered a good idea to brand your stores that serve alcohol differently from those that don’t. I heard some lady from Ad Age saying Starbucks was being stupid because they should be using their brand name everywhere, but that ignores the fact that Starbucks actually has a brand that is considered acceptable by huge crowds who view it as a place to go after church on Sunday. I guarantee you, those Southern Baptists would stop going once you could ask for some Irish Coffee.
I wouldn’t be surprised if what currently appears to be one-off stores by Starbucks turns into a chain though, where they choose one name and build up a brand based on the late-night, post-dinner place to go for coffee and alcohol. They might not even open up to serve a morning rush, thus being very, very different from Starbucks.
Additionally, these aren’t the first off-brand stores they’ve operated. The others may be considered different because they bought a chain with a different name, but its just proof that having multiple brands is considered standard practice, and frequently lucrative, when you’re a big business.
