Starbucks Korea to open pet-friendly branch in Guri on Friday

Starbucks Korea's upcoming location in Guri, Gyeonggi, will be the country's first Starbucks store where customers can enjoy drinks next to their pets.

Starbucks Korea's upcoming location in Guri, Gyeonggi, will have a pet zone where customers can enjoy drinks with their pets. [STARBUCKS KOREA]

Starbucks Korea's upcoming location in Guri, Gyeonggi, will be the country's first Starbucks store where customers can enjoy drinks next to their pets.

The new two-story store will open on Friday, the coffee franchise said Thursday.

It will have a 165-square-meter (197-square-yard) pet zone on the second floor for customers to hang out with their furry companions, equipped with booth seats, pet-friendly chairs and a waiting area to hang leashes on. A 66-square-meter al fresco pet lounge is also available for pets, as long as they are on a leash.

Drinks will be made on the first floor, where customers cannot enter due to the Food Ministry's sanitation guidelines. Customers can reach the pet zone on the second floor through a separate entrance without entering the first-floor area.

The new store near Guri's Galmae Station will also sell new merchandise, such as the "cream family bag set," which comes with a cream-colored tote bag and a backpack pouch to be used as a set with pets.

To promote the branch's opening, Starbucks will run an event from Friday to Thursday that gives more reward points to drive-through customers who order with a Starbucks card.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]