Starbucks, Dempsey, bikini baristas interested in Tully’s Coffee on auction block
Jan 3, 2013, 6:27 AM | Updated: 10:30 am
On Wednesday night Dempsey tweeted a picture of himself at a Tully's, writing "In Seattle, big day tomorrow ! Hope we pull it off !" (Photo courtesy Patrick Dempsey Twitter)
(Photo courtesy Patrick Dempsey Twitter)
What do Starbucks, Patrick Dempsey, and some bikini clad women have in common?
They’re all interested in purchasing Tully’s coffee in Seattle.
Seven bidders will meet in Seattle at an auction Thursday to buy bankrupt Tully’s Coffee.
The Seattle Times reports Starbucks only wants half of Tully’s 47 stores nationwide and if they win, they’re offering to sell off the rest or they might close them down.
Seattle-based Baristas Coffee Company, which features scantily clad female servers at drive-through coffee stands, also has said it wants to make a bid for Tully’s.
That company has formed Baristas Acquisition Partners to complete the acquisition of Tully’s.
A statement from the Baristas Coffee Company indicates the new group consists of several current Tully’s shareholders and executives from the coffee industry.
One of the other seven bidders have a face familiar to Seattle as well, or at least, a fictional version of the Emerald City.
Patrick Dempsey, who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd on “Grey’s Anatomy,” the ABC drama set at fictional Seattle Grace Hospital is a part of the investment group Global Baristas.
On Wednesday night Dempsey tweeted a picture of himself at a Tully’s, writing “In Seattle, big day tomorrow! Hope we pull it off!”
The deal should be closed by the end of the month.
KIRO Radio editor Seth Keller and MyNorthwest.com’s Alyssa Kleven contributed to this report.
