The fourth Evolution Fresh store (operated by Starbucks) is now open! It’s in Seattle’s University Village shopping area, not too far from the new Tazo Tea store. The grand opening of this new Evolution Fresh store was November 18, 2012, and I dropped by that day to see what’s new, and how things were going. In case you’re wondering, here’s where you find all the Evolution Fresh stores:
- 1. Bellevue Square – The first Evolution Fresh opened March 19, 2012, in Bellevue, Washington.
- 2. Downtown Seattle – The second Evolution Fresh opened July 20, 2012, in downtown Seattle, on Pine Street.
- 3. Fillmore neighborhood, San Francisco – The third Evolution Fresh opened in October in San Francisco.
- 4. The fourth Evolution Fresh is in Seattle’s University Village opened on November 18, 2012.
The new Evolution Fresh in University Village has new menu boards, has an in-store juicer, and is offering a great seasonal beverage – hot apple cider. Actually, at the end of the day, it was the hot apple cider that curled my toes! Also, Evolution Fresh stores have launched punch cards to reward frequent juicers. Of course, if you are paying with your Evolution Fresh Card, or Starbucks Card, or Tazo Card, you earn a “star” for each swipe. Your rewards can be redeemed at Starbucks only.
It seems like the juice wall has quadrupled in the number of offerings:
In that photo, the top row of juices has all organic choices. Notice that there are two different bottled orange juices. The top shelf is organic, and the bottom shelf is the standard Evolution Fresh orange juice found in many stores. In addition, a customer can have a fresh squeezed orange juice. The idea is to experience new orange flavors. The bottled juices offer Navel oranges, and when I dropped by the store, the juicer was stocked with Valencia oranges:
My favorite thing, by a long shot, was the new seasonal hot apple cider. This is worth a trip into Evolution Fresh:
Here’s those punch cards I mentioned:
As usual, the food at Evolution Fresh is divine. The new menu boards emphasize that a customer can create his or her own perfect salad or simmer bowl. For the first time, the salads are now available in half-size portions. I didn’t take any pictures on this visit (on November 18th) of my food, but about one week before, I’d visited the Bellevue location, and during a very hungry moment, sent out this tweet on my wonderful buckwheat noodle simmer bowl with added tofu. I really do like the food at Evolution Fresh. There are many mornings where I start my day with a southwest scramble at Evolution Fresh at the downtown store, and then walk next door to Starbucks for a beverage. And if you get the chance, try the chocolate mousse dessert. Wow. It’s a tiny portion, but it’s so rich that that’s all you’ll want.
Just a few more photos of this beautiful new store – sorry that I couldn’t get a good picture of an empty lobby: The store was busy on day one!
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I am at my local SB now and looking at the pics on my phone is a bit difficult but the store looks nice. I like the fact they have organic choices and the making of the fresh orange juice. I am a bit confused as to why they would do punch cards along with the reward cards? Are there so many people in Seattle without SB cards? And would someone with a SB card also get a punch card?
@Purple1 – It looks to me like they’re really just experimenting with another layer of loyalty cards, and not permanent. So if I buy a 16-ounce juice at Evolution Fresh, and pay with my Starbucks Card, I earn a “star.” With the punch card, after buying 10, the 11th is free. It sounds like a good deal, in many ways. I think the idea was that EF wanted to offer a loyalty program that will good to redeem in their stores. I can’t redeem my Starbucks free drink/free food rewards at E.F. I notice that the small print say that you have to fill up the card by 1-31-2012. I would say it’s definitely an experiment on their part. (Good question Purple1!)
Melody the punch cards are only at the university mall location? I wonder since the cards are only valid until the end of January if they will determine then whether to continue using them. Certainly, that time frame to me is not an effective period to test the card. Also, I wonder how many people read the small print. Are there organic juices in the cases of SB stores? I have never looked.
@Purple1 – It’s a punch card that can be used at any of the four EF stores. By the way, it’s not that small of print. I think it’s reasonable to expect that people read the card.
Thanks again for staying on top of everything, Melody, and for sharing your knowledge and experiences. It is almost a full time job these days staying up with all things Starbucks/Seattle’s Best/Evolution Fresh/Tazo/Teavana/La Boulange! Love reading your Blog and especially seeing the pictures. Keep up the good work.
Gee, another reason to move to Seattle! Btw, this little shopping center is becoming quite the hub for SBUX. Kind of like those malls that have a big concentration of brands from Gap or Limited.
I’m really excited to see Starbucks so strongly embrace other markets than just coffee. I’m hoping to see Evolution Fresh come to the South soon! I think that the warm year-round climate would be perfect for a store like this to thrive.
Yay on fresh-squeezed orange juice! Other countries, like Mexico, Spain, and Greece, have this, and I much prefer it to anything out of a bottle.
Just wanted to drop a line that I saw a lot of Job Openings for Evolution Fresh in California on some job sites.
@Karldotcom – That’s interesting. It either means that people are leaving their production facility or that’s it been greatly expanded. I am inclined to think it’s being expanded – I could’ve sworn I heard somewhere that Starbucks would be opening another juice facility to expand production since now the East Coast has finally added the Evo Fresh juices.
@LivingUnited — Starbucks had samples of the juice and it did taste super fresh. Not sure I’m ready for freshly squeezed juice at Starbucks. When I go, I’m getting a frappuccino every single time; it’s my hard-core treat, addiction, etc. — just not sure juice is going to caught it, though glad it’s healthy.