The first Starbucks coffee shop in San Benito should be open in about a month.
Renovation work on the old Popeye’s restaurant at U.S. 77/Expressway 83 and Sam Houston Boulevard has been progressing but delays in the $200,000 project have pushed back the original start date.
“I noticed last week that they just put up the sign outside so I said, ‘Well, that means it’s coming,’” Cathy Weaver, executive director of the San Benito Chamber of Commerce, said Monday.
Weaver said for months the Starbucks sign had been covered but is now revealed.
Weaver said she has had regular contact with Starbucks managers as the work on the renovation progressed and like other San Benito residents, says she’s eager to see it open for business.
Initially, the new café was to be finished by Dec. 30, according to documents filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The construction work will include new building canopies, a new storefront, interior partitions, interior finishes, equipment, lighting, HVAC, plumbing and signage.
As Weaver notes, the location should be a good one.
“Our city is growing, and it’s right off the expressway when you get off at Sam Houston,” she said. “So I’m believing that it’s going to bring in so much business.”
“You have three in Harlingen and at Target, and they’re always packed,” she added.
