Coffee has been a popular beverage in some countries for centuries, but the mass popularity of coffee has grown dramatically worldwide in the 21st century. Major coffee shop chains such as Starbucks are leading the way with international expansion. Starbucks doesn't franchise its stores, but it does offer select retail applicants a license to operate a Starbucks outlet once they decide on a location, complete an application and follow up with an email.

Decide on which of your retail locations you want to pick to apply for a Starbucks license. Starbucks is highly selective regarding locations for licensing stores, so make sure you choose a busy, high-traffic location that is likely to attract many walk-in customers.

Go to the Starbucks website and complete the application for a licensed store. Starbucks does not publicly release its criteria for evaluating applicants for licensed stores. But the large majority of its licensees are in airports, on college and university campuses, or in the outlets of large retail chains such as Safeway, Target, Marriott Hotels and Barnes & Noble. Make sure your proposed location is comparable to these.

Follow up with Starbucks if you have not heard anything regarding your application in a few weeks. Starbucks does not specify a time frame within which to expect a reply, but it is a good idea to be proactive if you have not heard anything within three or four weeks. Start with a follow-up email message to the "Company Information" link under "Contact Us," and then call if you do not receive a reply within two or three days.