As any bookworm can tell you, Barnes & Noble has been struggling, shuttering stores across the country in an effort to stay afloat. Now Amazon, the biggest single culprit behind B&N’s demise, seems to be kicking the company when it is down. Barnes & Noble recently closed its Bethesda, Maryland, location, and now comes news that Amazon is opening a 6,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar shop just up the road from Barnes & Noble’s shuttered location, according to Bethesda Magazine. The shop will be the second Amazon store in the greater D.C. area (it’s currently building an outpost in Georgetown) and the 14th store in the U.S.
This is certainly not a great look for Barnes & Noble, but, as Food & Wine reports, the bookstore has a plan. It’s been tweaking its business model to include some new amenities, including full-service restaurants—including one in the store’s latest outpost in Plano, Texas. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, the menu at the newest Barnes & Noble Kitchen features full meals from $11 hummus to $14 for grilled cheese and tomato soup, beer and wine, as well as plenty of those aggravatingly trendy shareable dishes. With a $22 plancha-cooked salmon on the menu, it seems that Barnes & Noble could have found its new revenue stream—at least until Amazon opens its own restaurant next door.
[via Axios]
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