Tully's Coffee with a new owner

Actor Patrick Dempsey, better known as television's “Dr. McDreamy,” promised to rescue Seattle's Tully's coffee chain with a $9.15 million bid to buy it out of bankruptcy.

The “Grey's Anatomy” star who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd, a surgeon at fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, said his offer bested those from six rival bidders – including global coffee giant Starbucks Corp.

“We met the green monster, looked her in the eye, and … she blinked! We got it!” Dempsey said in a tweet late on Thursday, referring to his company's face-off with Starbucks.

“I'm even more excited about saving Tully's Coffee and its hundreds of jobs,” he said in a statement.

“I'm confident we will be able to successfully build the brand,” said Dempsey, whose company Global Baristas LLC, is purchasing the chain.

Tully's owner TC Global Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reorganize in October. The coffee chain, which has more than 500 employees, confirmed in a statement on Friday that Global Baristas was selected as the winning bidder.

Starbucks participated in the auction and is in a back-up position for certain Tully's assets, a Starbucks spokesman said.

Bidders said a bankruptcy court hearing on the sale is set for Jan. 11 in Seattle. Global Baristas plans to complete the Tully's deal later this month.

Tully's owns and operates 47 cafes in Washington and California.

(Reuters)