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Starbucks will offer delivery service

Posted at 8:19 PM, Oct 30, 2014
and last updated 2015-03-19 12:38:48-04

It's finally happening. Soon, instead of running to Starbucks – Starbucks will run to you.

Starbucks will test a delivery service in its hometown of Seattle, plus the Empire State Building in New York, the world's largest coffee chain announced Wednesday.

The test will begin in the second half of 2015, The Seattle Times reports.

In New York, orders will be filled from Starbucks location within the Empire State Building. The Seattle test will use a startup delivery company called Postmates. 

"The customer experience is driven through the Starbucks mobile application, where customers can select and tailor food and beverages, relay the order electronically to their stores, and initiate a delivery via Postmates to have the order picked up and delivered to them," Postmates said in a statement.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in 2014 that delivery is part of a "massive cultural shift" towards online purchases.

"Imagine the ability to create a standing order of Starbucks delivered hot to your desk daily," Schultz said on an October conference call.

In recent years, the caffeinated claws Starbucks have reached outside its cafes and into grocery stores. Soon customers may not even have to drive — or just walk half a block.

The announcement comes amid a controversial campaign to encourage discussion about racial issues in Starbucks stores. Find out more about the #RaceForward controversy in this Newsy video:

Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk.