Nearly 70 Starbucks employees laid off after Seattle store closures

Starbucks is laying off 69 workers at five Seattle stores that were previously announced to close.

The employees affected, all baristas and shift supervisors, worked at stores on First Hill, in the University District, in the Seattle Center Armory, in Seattle Children’s Hospital, and at the Starbucks in the Metropolitan Park East building downtown.

“These choices are never easy — especially here at home — but they’re an important part of focusing on what we do best and delivering on our Back to Starbucks strategy,” Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson told The Seattle Times Monday.

Four of the five closed stores were a part of “Starbucks Workers United,” a worker-led unionizing effort fighting for higher pay, more hours for employees, and better protections for the staff.

A company spokesperson told The Seattle Times that the stores’ union status was not a factor in their shutdown.

“Starbucks continues to fail its hometown,” Starbucks Workers United stated. “After laying off thousands of corporate employees, opening a new office in Nashville, and closing its flagship stores, CEO Brian Niccol is yet again upending the lives of employees and disrupting customers with no notice or justification while commuting on a private jet and enjoying one of the highest CEO-to-worker pay gaps.”

The First Hill location closed on Sunday, while the Seattle Children’s Hospital store closes this Friday. The other three coffee shops will close on April 5.

Hundreds of Starbucks stores nationwide closed last year, including more than 30 in Washington, resulting in layoffs affecting 369 employees.

In total, nearly 1,000 Starbucks workers and 1,100 corporate employees were laid off last year.

Starbucks plans to expand with hundreds of new stores

After a tumultuous 2025, Starbucks plans to expand by opening hundreds of new stores, the company announced in January.

Leaders within Starbucks expect to open as many as 650 locations worldwide this year, including 128 in the first quarter.

The recent changes within Starbucks’ strategy began when Brian Niccol became CEO in August 2024. Since he left Chipotle to lead Starbucks, the coffee giant has been reworking its operations. Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” plan invests $ 1 billion in training, upgrades, and more efficient stores.

“Q4 was a milestone quarter in getting ‘Back to Starbucks,'” Cathy Smith, chief financial officer, stated. “We know this continues to be a multi-year turnaround. We remain focused on driving our topline while managing the costs that are within our control to deliver durable, sustainable growth and long-term shareholder value.”

Starbucks reported that during its 13-week fiscal first quarter, which ended December 28, 2025, sales at comparable North America and U.S. stores increased by 4%.

After revealing its first-quarter results, Niccol shared that the company’s turnaround is taking hold.

“We’ve got more work to do, but our return to global comp growth and the momentum we’re building give me confidence we’re on the right path to deliver the very best of Starbucks for our customers and shareholders,” Niccol said.

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