Washington Square Starbucks Closes for Nine Days

There's some buzz about Washington Square this week.

will close. For nine days.

(Was that a collective shriek we heard from you coffee junkies out there?)

Yup — that's nine days without white chocolate mochas, caramel frappuccinos and whatever caffeine-induced drink you grab to get you through your workday.

But Starbucks is assuring us it's all for a good cause. The store is undergoing a remodel. Cool, right?

Here's what store manager Beth Shelton had to say in an email to us this week:

It is being redone to help us with speed of service and update the aesthetics of the store. We will gain a third Espresso machine that will help with getting drinks out faster. We are also pushing  the order speaker in the drive thru lane back so that we can get orders quicker. You will see a preorder menu board so you can look at the menu before you order and we will be getting new tables and chairs on the inside and outside of the store.

And here are some dates and times to keep handy:

Closing time: 7 p.m. tonight (Tuesday)

Free coffee: 6:30-9 a.m. Wednesday (as a thank you to customers)

Estimated reopening date: 5:30 a.m. May 16

More free coffee (and cake): 7:30-10 a.m. May 18 to celebrate the reopening.