People hoping to frequent Barrington’s first-ever drive-through restaurant will need to wait a little while longer. 

According to the owner of the Barrington Shopping Center property, it will be another month or two before the new Starbucks restaurant will open. 

Joseph R. Paolino Jr., the managing partner of Paolino Properties which owns the Barrington Shopping Center, said construction of the new Starbucks finished recently and the company is now completing the restaurant interior work. He said the Starbucks will open in February or March.

Paolino said the opening of the new coffeeshop and restaurant — it will be the first one in town featuring a drive-through lane — was delayed when officials realized a zoning permit had lapsed. Officials needed to re-apply for the permit before the work could continue, Paolino said. 

“This would have been done a lot earlier, if the zoning hadn’t expired,” Paolino said. 

He added: “We’re very excited. Starbucks is a gold star retailer. And we’re very pleased with the Town of Barrington, allowing us a drive-through.”

The new Starbucks, located toward the center of the Barrington Shopping Center, will be the first restaurant or coffeeshop in town to feature a drive-through lane. (There are some banks and a pharmacy in town that have drive-through lanes.) A previous effort to construct a Starbucks with a drive-through lane on County Road failed to gain the necessary approvals, as officials cited a local regulation that prohibited drive-throughs from exiting directly onto County Road. 

Paolino said he is excited to have Starbucks as an anchor at the Barrington Shopping Center. He said the plaza is doing well — in addition to the new Starbucks location, the center also recently welcomed a new real estate office (Compass Realty) and physical therapy business (Ivy Rehab). 

Paolino said his company is also actively talking to other retailers who would fill the current Starbucks location — a smaller space located toward the entrance of the shopping center — once the new coffeeshop opens its doors and drive-through lane. 

When asked if he believed the new drive-through lane would cause traffic issues, Paolino said he hopes it does not. He said the plan, including the drive-through lane layout, meets the standards in place in town. He also said he worked with officials from Shaw’s to coordinate the new drive-through lane, as it encroached upon part of the supermarket’s parking spaces. 

“Everything has gone well,” he said. 

Paolino, who grew up in Barrington, said his family has owned the Barrington Shopping Center property since the 1960s. He said there is an ongoing effort to create more of a village atmosphere in the shopping center.