5 Grocery Chains That Also Have Coffee Bars
When shopping for groceries, it can be an unexpected pleasure to find a coffee bar or shop inside the store. Whether you prefer ordering right when you walk in, to have something to sip as you peruse the aisles, or you get one for the road, ordering a coffee and pastry inside the store can feel pretty sweet.
However, not every grocery chain has a coffee bar inside. In fact, not even every store within a chain offers such conveniences. Sometimes older stores in a chain can't be retrofitted with coffee bars, and some chains may reserve such features for specific regions or neighborhoods. So, if your Ralph's doesn't offer fresh macchiatos and Americanos, you may have luck at the next one over.
Historically, many shops and grocery stores in the 19th century roasted their own coffee and often sold cups of piping hot java as incentive to buy a bag. But the modern phenomenon of buying your latte inside a Walmart or Albertsons is a relatively new one, as little as 25 years in the making. We've compiled five chains that feature coffee bars in many or most of its stores. Of course, individual coffee bars may close, be under renovation, or have recently opened. New York-based Wegmans, for example, announced in 2023 it was testing closure of its full-service Buzz Coffee Shops and replacing them with self-service stations, and didn't include a Buzz in a recently opened store in Reston, Virginia.
Albertsons / Safeway / Vons
In 1999, Starbucks announced it was opening its first coffee bar inside an Albertsons. The company started with a store in Boise, Idaho (where the mega-chain originated), expanding into southern California and other states soon after. Often, they are little more than narrow counters or kiosks, but many have seating areas. Some even feature separate entrances as well as store entrances, giving the sense that they are a stand-alone store.
Though Albertsons acquired Safeway and Vons in 2015, both chains already had similar deals with Starbucks, beginning in 2004, and the setups are similar. One site reports that as of 2022, about 899 of Safeway's 921 locations boasted a Starbucks, while most Albertsons and all Vons do as well. Not only can you get your grande latte and birthday cake pop fix, but one advantage of buying coffee inside a Safeway is that you can score double the loyalty points. In other words, you can log benefits for both the Starbucks app and the Safeway for U rewards program. Similar perks are available through Albertsons and Vons as well.
Whole Foods Market
The WFM Coffee Bars are an intrinsic part of the Whole Foods experience for many shoppers. The same passion customers feel for the hot food section or Whole Foods' prepared items, like Abe's Chocolate Brownies carries over to the coffee bar. Compared with many store-based coffee shops, WFM Coffee Bars are open and airy, with many featuring unique designs and aesthetics. Some even sell beer and wine or sport an ice rink on its roof, like the famed Austin store. (That's one of those secrets about Whole Foods you wish you'd known sooner.)
But you're really here for the coffee, and Whole Foods WFM delivers, particularly with seasonal offerings. As with other coffee chains, the WFM Coffee Bars offer pumpkin spice lattes to thirsty customers each fall. This past April, the chain re-introduced its brown butter cookie latte which went viral in 2023 (at least one poster on Instagram is lobbying for it to be served year-round). Or try a date cardamom latte in the fall and winter. One thing to keep in mind is that some of the WFM stores changed their formats following the COVID-19 pandemic. Some stopped serving alcohol, and at least one Whole Foods in Bellevue, Washington closed its coffee bar completely. Also, some stores offer regional concepts, like the Cafe Grumpy inside Manhattan's West 33rd Street location, or the French Truck location inside a Whole Foods in Metairie, a community in metro New Orleans.
Harris Teeter / Fred Meyer / Ralph's
Harris Teeter is a North Carolina-based chain with 262 stores across eight states. The smartly appointed stores are large, brightly lit, and well laid out. In many of the stores, a Starbucks counter is at the ready right as you enter.
According to the company website, Starbucks kiosks are available in "several" of the stores, though an exact number isn't provided. You get all the core sandwiches, drinks, and treats, including the seasonal Starbucks red cups. Though most don't have a dedicated seating area, the grocery carts are equipped with cupholders for your shopping convenience.
Harris Teeter is part of Kroger, which also owns Fred Meyer and Ralph's, both of which host Starbucks kiosks at most locations. In fact, like Albertsons, Ralph's was one of the early adopters of in-store Starbucks coffee bars, back in 1999. The big appeal in this case is that the HT stores are clean, bright, and quite posh, and so are the coffee bars. If the caffeine isn't doing it for you, at least eight stores boast full beer and wine bars, including at the Brier Creek location near Raleigh, North Carolina.
Publix
If you've been anywhere in the Southeast, odds are you've come across a Publix. If you're lucky enough to shop in one of the new locations, you'll probably see Pours, the chain's fancy new in-store bar and coffee shop. The hyper-modern spaces feature local coffees, as well as beers, wines, and kombucha on tap. A big screen TV and plenty of seating encourage you to linger.
Only a handful of the company's 1,390 stores include a Pours station so far, but the company is intent on expanding the concept. The first opened in 2018 in Tallahassee with other locations following in places like Naples and West Palm Beach. The newest Publix, built in Louisville (the company's first in Kentucky) naturally includes a Pours.
If your Publix doesn't have a Pours yet, it's possible there is a Publix Cafe next to the bakery. There, you can order premium coffees, teas, and fruit drinks, alongside a variety of pastries. An estimated 130 locations were expected to score Cafes, highlighting brews from Florida-based roaster Kahwa Coffee.
While Pours offers dedicated seating in a welcoming environment, customers are also encouraged to take their coffee, beer, or wine with them while shopping (unlike Harris Teeter which would like you to keep your booze at the bar). Little details like this and a dedication to customer service is one reason Publix has become a Southern grocery store staple.
Sprouts Farmers Market
The latest grocery chain to jump on the coffee bandwagon, Sprouts Farmers Market, is carefully rolling out different coffee bar concepts into its 443 stores, located across 24 states. The chain, which emphasizes organic and other specialty goods, unveiled a handful of Press Coffee bars in seven Sprouts Phoenix metro locations in late 2023 and early 2024. Characterized by blond wood facades, dedicated seating, and a host of specialty drinks, the coffee bars are set up as workstations, as well as for casual caffeine consumption. Press is a local coffee shop brand with kiosks in entertainment venues and malls throughout the Phoenix area, where the headquarters of Sprouts Farmers Market is located.
The chain also recently opened five Klatch Coffee locations in Southern California stores. Klatch is a family-run roaster and retail business that's been pouring java in California since 1993. The in-store shops are built as adjacent spaces with access from the store and from separate entrances outside. They offer dedicated seating and online ordering. You'll find all the usual cold brews, a few breakfast items, and plenty of treats. Keep an eye out for the macadamia cookie latte. Unlike the Starbucks cookie latte, this one seems to be offered year-round.