Sugar Grove’s first standalone Starbucks coming this fall

Kane County coffee drinkers who commute on Route 47 will have a new drive-thru option for their morning joe this fall, once construction of Sugar Grove’s first Starbucks location is complete.

The Seattle-based coffee powerhouse plans to open its first stand-alone location in Sugar Grove this fall at 421 N Sugar Grove Parkway.

The site is located in the shopping center at the northeastern corner of Route 47 and Galena Boulevard, between the Shell gas station and Auto Zone.

The 1.42-acre site is currently vacant. The development plans consist of a 6,000 square foot building with a drive-thru and 370 square foot outdoor patio.

Starbucks will operate out of a roughly 2,500 square foot unit with the drive-thru and patio, and the adjacent 3,500 square foot unit will be leased to another retailer.

The property is owned by Graham C-Stores, who also own the neighboring Shell gas station. They will maintain ownership of the property and lease the space to Starbucks.

Northbrook-based developer GMX Real Estate Group is developing the site for Starbucks.

GMX director of development Todd Smutz said GMX has been developing commercial retail space for about 20 years, working mainly with national retailers like Chipotle, Sleep Number and Raising Cane’s. He said they have built about a dozen Starbucks locations in the Midwest, most recently in Waukegan.

While the Jewel-Osco grocery store on the same lot already has a Starbucks kiosk inside, developers said it is common practice in the Starbucks business model to have a stand-alone shop right outside a grocery store with a kiosk.

Smutz said the two Starbucks locations will attract entirely different clientele. He said the café in the grocery store will mainly serve daytime shoppers, and the stand-alone shop will serve morning commuters and those looking for a café atmosphere to sit and work or study.

In addition to an outdoor patio and drive-thru options, the stand-alone location will offer a more extensive food and drink menu than the kiosk.

Smutz said GMX’s portion of the development is expected to be complete by June. The site will then be handed over to Starbucks to build-out the interior, which is expected to take about three months.

The coffee shop is expected to be open and operating by mid-September.

The village held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site on Jan. 28 with Village President Jennifer Konen, other village officials, local economic groups and representatives from Starbucks and GMX.

Sugar Grove economic development director Michael Cassa said the village began conversations with Starbucks developers in spring of 2023 and approved development plans last May.

Cassa said Sugar grove is an attractive location for restaurants and retailers like Starbucks because of the potential growth it is poised to see in coming years. He said the multiple, sizable residential developments the village has planned means thousands of potential customers for area businesses.