A ribbon cutting by joyous staff marked the moment Darlington's brand new Starbucks Drive-Thru opened today. The new spot, at Faverdale, has been eagerly anticipated by both customers and staff in the two-year journey it's taken to get up and running. Plans for the American coffee giant were first approved in 2020 as part of a new development which included a Lidl and Home Bargains which are already open.
Pictures have for the past few months shown the building, which includes a drive-thru, with signs saying it was to open "soon". This latest outpost of the American coffee giant by franchise owners 23.5 degrees will be the first in Darlington since Starbucks on Northgate closed its doors for good in September 2017.
The town centre location was open for ten years, and 15 jobs were lost after bosses made the "difficult decision" to close. The store manager of the new spot is 25-year-old Peter Atkinson who joined Starbucks in February and has now been placed here in Darlington to head it up. Starbucks opened at Faverdale, Darlington led by 23.
5 degrees district coach Rachael Dickinson, store manager Peter Atkinson and NASSL charity reps. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) Peter, from Acklam in Middlesbrough, has been overjoyed by the response from customers to the opening. He told the Northern Echo: "When I was brought over it was originally a March opening - but we've finally got here in June! "There has been a bit of a build-up, we've been waiting to get in here to get it all set up.
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