Starbucks Has Closed Over 20 Locations Due To ‘Safety Concerns’— Including Ones Trying To Unionize

Since this summer, Starbucks has closed approximately two dozen locations across the nation, but primarily stores on the West Coast. According to the coffee giant, safety concerns have made “providing a safe and welcoming and kind environment” challenging, The Hill reports.

Back in July, Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson, vice presidents of US operations, wrote in a letter to employees that stressed the importance of store safety. They wrote, “You’re … seeing firsthand the challenges facing our communities – personal safety, racism, lack of access to healthcare, a growing mental health crisis, rising drug use, and more. With stores in thousands of communities across the country, we know these challenges can, at times, play out within our stores too. We read every incident report you file – it’s a lot.”

Stroud and Nelson added that when looking towards the future, Starbucks coffee shops may be closed for good if safety is found to be “no longer possible.” A spokesperson for the Seattle-based chain later confirmed to Nexstar that 16 locations would close by the end of July. This included six shops in Los Angeles, five in Seattle, two in Portland, one in Philadelphia, one in the District of Columbia and lastly, another in Everett, Washington.

Since then, more Starbucks locations have shuttered across the US, all citing safety concerns. According to The Hill, another location in Portland (the city’s third!) was set to close last Thursday, October 20th. When speaking to to Nexstar’s KOIN, a nearby business owner told the publication that violence due to drugs and homelessness had impacted the neighborhood as of late.

Earlier this month, Starbucks also closed down its Canal Street location in New Orleans. This time, they again cited “safety concerns” and employees reported rising levels of threats. Additionally, a spokesperson for Starbucks said to Nexstar’s WSYR last week that the coffee chain will close its downtown Syracuse store in the near future, also due to “safety concerns.”

According to Nexstar’s WDAF, workers at a Kansas City Starbucks location were informed in August that their location was closing due to “safety concerns,” but some employees thought its failed recent effort to unionize was the real reason.

Another Starbucks store in downtown Indianapolis will close before the end of October, and Commander Phil Burton with the Indianapolis Metro Police Department’s Downtown District sat down with Nexstar’s WXIN. He said that Starbucks did not share any of these “safety concerns” with authorities.

Union leaders in Colorado Springs also spoke with Nexstar’s KREX. They requested a bargaining meeting with the coffee company for October 24th. In response, Starbucks announced it would instead be closing the location on October 23rd due to “health and safety concerns.” A shift supervisor later revealed that workers asked for safety measures to be set before, but did not receive any support.

Other notable and recent closures include Starbucks stores in Spokane, WA and Chicago (where a local news outlet reported it was scheduled to begin bargaining for their first union contract). This ultimately means that at least 24 Starbucks stores have closed or will close due to “safety concerns” before 2022 comes to a close.