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PUNK’D: Starbucks **NOT** creating The Daphne — coffee, coffee and booze, and music — on Capitol Hill in former home of Chop Suey

(Image: CHS)

(Image: CHS)

Santa Monica's Hear Music (Image: blocksnap.com)

Santa Monica’s Hear Music (Image: blocksnap.com)

UPDATE 10:53 AM: A company spokesperson said the announcement sent to CHS is “absolutely not true.” CHS apologizes for the mistake in reporting.

UPDATE 3:45 PM: CHS has donated $175 (a nickel per pageview on this rather popular story) to Northwest Harvest to make good (or better) on getting duped. You can donate here.

UPDATE 10:15 AM: We’re working to confirm details. The Starbucks announcement was sent to us by a third party PR agency so have not yet confirmed with company officials.

UPDATE x2 10:24 AM: There are no construction records on file for the address and Starbucks company officials have not yet returned our messages. There are also no records of sale for the property.

UPDATE x3 10:30 AM: The building’s owner says the announcement is “news” to him.

Original report: Global coffee giant Starbucks announced Friday morning it is again ready to launch one of its massive experiments on Capitol Hill. The Chop Suey? It’s no longer for sale.

The Daphne is planned as “the evolution of their entertainment customer experience” and “a one-of-a-kind interactive Starbucks showcase venue” to open on the Hill in 2015.

Late this summer, CHS reported that the Chop Suey nightclub was for sale at 14th and E Madison for just under $100,000. Starbucks will now call the building home.

The Daphne “will bring customers the live music experience with premium coffee and a small-market test of Starbucks Imbibe™ coffee liqueurs and bean-infused bourbons through hand-crafted cocktails and exclusive tasting events,” the Seattle-based global giant announced.

In December, Starbucks will open its new Melrose roasting facility that includes “its first-ever Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room” and a new Serious Pie restaurant from partner Tom Douglas. Created in a former art supply store and auto dealership at Melrose and Pike, the facility is slated to open in early December.

The Daphne will also “showcase live music, including local and national touring acts in acoustic, pop, adult contemporary and jazz.”

UPDATE 2:30 PM:

@derekerdman 4 president!

A photo posted by Do206 (@do206seattle) on

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22 Comments
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Spiffy D
Spiffy D
9 years ago

No, thank you.

SMAJ
SMAJ
9 years ago

One step closer to Idiocracy.

Quazie
Quazie
9 years ago

Wait what? Chop Suey is closing? When? It has a calendar booked through at least December.

DB McWeeberton
DB McWeeberton
9 years ago

We’re always the lab for their weird experiments, aren’t we?

Carlos R
Carlos R
9 years ago

But can you confirm there will be plenty of stroller parking available. The new wave of Capitol Hill residents need to know.

Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor
9 years ago

Hey newbies, Chop Suey used to be an auto parts store: BAP/Geon (http://www.bap-geon.com) where BAP stood for British Auto Parts and I’ve no idea what Geon stood for.

I won a case of motor oil from them once, so they may be going full circle and selling dark brown liquids again (and the coffee surely costs more per ounce than the motor oil).

BTW the BAP/Geon sign was still on the wall at Chop Suey (way up on the wall) lat time I looked.

Smoley
Smoley
9 years ago
Reply to  Andrew Taylor

FYI, the Geon of BAP/Geon was a separate auto parts import company out of NY whose founder was George Neuwirth (Geo. N.).

More here:http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/johnston-industries-inc-history/

Derek Erdman
9 years ago

I’m pretty sure the term “PUNK’D” is trademarked.

Bill Flanders
Bill Flanders
9 years ago

What a shock, a blog pushes the panic button before having verification on an article.

DB McWeeberton
DB McWeeberton
9 years ago
Reply to  Bill Flanders

I think the prank was too bland and plausible to seem suspicious! It’s not like it was a giraffe cafe/hookah lounge or anything…

Also, CHS is more than just a “blog”–it’s the most (only?) reliable and complete news source for the neighborhood!

Uncle Vinny
Uncle Vinny
9 years ago

I’m confused… who sent out this bogus announcement? And why?

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago
Reply to  Uncle Vinny

The “who” might be undetermined, but the “why” is obvious. To achieve exactly the result they did.

Derek Erdman
9 years ago
Reply to  jseattle

I have taken no responsibility for this news item.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago
Reply to  jseattle

Do “I have taken no responsibility” and “I didn’t do this” mean the same thing? Pretty sure not. Just sayin’.

linden
linden
9 years ago

Personally I’m not convinced the sale listing for the Chop Suey was ever legit.

The Zillow posting is vague, seems to say you’d have ownership of the club, but not the property, but can’t change any details of the club – which, on this last point, CHS should have known better than to think Starbucks bought it.

Seems like some pissed off former employee, band, or sketchy owner trying for a big payday on an unprofitable club before the building really does get torn down for new condos.

PBE
PBE
9 years ago

Yea, the Chop Suey property is worth $10mil +, not the $100k that CHS had mentionec

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[…] business went up for sale. The club appears to be currently winding down its operations. And it has nothing to do with Starbucks. Probably. We’ve also talked with Shapiro in the past about why there aren’t more […]