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

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]