Starbucks to open Nashville corporate office, offering relocation to some Seattle employees
Mar 4, 2026, 7:53 AM | Updated: 3:05 pm
The Starbucks logo is displayed in the window of a Starbucks Coffee shop. (Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
(Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee chain, is expanding to Nashville.
The coffee giant announced Wednesday, alongside Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, that it will establish a corporate operations office in Nashville later this year. According to The Wall Street Journal, dozens of Seattle employees will get the chance to move there.
“The Davidson County office will support the company’s continued coffeehouse growth and rising customer demand, in particular, the Southeast region of the U.S.,” the State of Tennessee wrote in a prepared statement.
The state credited the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Valley Authority, among other partners, for helping recruit Starbucks to Tennessee.
“Companies across the nation recognize that Tennessee’s strong values and fiscally-conservative approach are good for business, and we are proud to welcome another Fortune 500 company like Starbucks to our state,” Lee said. “As Starbucks continues to shape their brand and expand their operations, we’re grateful they have chosen to build a future in the Volunteer State and will create quality jobs for Tennesseans.”
Details remain sparse on Starbucks’ eastward move, with the company sharing that more information will be available “in the coming months.” The company stated that Seattle will remain its North American and global headquarters.
“Looking ahead, Starbucks has great ambitions to grow even further across North America. With these growth plans, we see Nashville, Tennessee, as an ideal location to open an office and establish a more strategic presence in the Southeast region of the U.S.,” Mike Grams, chief operating officer, Starbucks Coffee Company, said in a prepared statement. “The city offers a deep, talented, and growing workforce, making it a desirable location for us.”
Starbucks is following another Seattle-based company’s footsteps. Amazon has more than 3,000 employees based in Nashville after the company announced back in 2018 that it would open an operations hub within the state.
By October 2025, Starbucks shuttered 31 locations within Washington, including eight in Seattle. The closures led to 369 retail job cuts.
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