Photo credit: Ally O’Boyle

A “Starbucks Coffee” sign illuminates the storefront of the Lincoln Marine location. This Starbucks location remains open even after the recent wave of closures.

Whether it’s a Starbucks run before school or an iced matcha during lunch, Starbucks has become a daily ritual for millions and a multi-billion dollar business. They are widely known for their coffee, variety of beverages and grab-and-go meals. However, a recent wave of closures in store locations has left customers and employees wondering what’s next.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol closed 450 locations across the United States, publishing his announcement through the Starbucks website Wednesday, Sept. 24. For customers, this may result in longer wait times, lines and a greater distance to your nearest Starbucks. For the employees given short notice, this meant being laid off or transferred.

On Sept. 25, employee Tristan Reyez was notified that the Starbucks he had worked at on Ocean Park Boulevard would shut down Sept. 27. This gave employees two days of notice before they were no longer employed. The managers found out about the closures on the same day the employees did, and Reyez said this gave them little time to understand what the next steps would be. He said the process involved a lot of waiting on communication from others.

“They had told us we would be getting an email from corporate,” Reyez said. “It would either say you were being transferred or you would be let go.” 

Reyez said the abrupt announcement left many employees uncertain of their future with the company, especially those who primarily rely on their job at Starbucks for their livelihood.

In Niccol’s announcement, he stated that the closures would help form a more elevated experience when going to Starbucks. Niccol wrote that the locations closing were unable to meet his standards as they did not produce enough money or have the proper ambiance.

“Our goal is for every coffeehouse to deliver a warm and welcoming space with a great atmosphere and a seat for every occasion,” Niccol wrote.

Many locations have already been closed, primarily within the week following the announcement. Sixth grader Evie Gill said the closures had shut down one of her favorite Starbucks locations on Ocean Park Boulevard.

“They are counting on Starbucks to make a living,” Gill said. “That’s their source of income, that’s how they pay rent, buy food or even water.” 

Sonoma Klungness is a sixth grader who frequency visited the Ocean Park Boulevard Starbucks location. Klungness and Gill said they were concerned about the short notice of the closure.

“It’s just very annoying and inconvenient,” Klungness said. “That’s so messed up. It’s someone’s entire job, it’s their entire life. They should have gotten at least a month’s notice.” 

Some employees were able to be transferred to the remaining 16,000 to 17,000 locations. This unfortunately wasn’t the case for everyone, even those who wanted to keep working with Starbucks, Reyez said.

“The managers in my district were super helpful for the people who wanted to be rehired,” Reyez said. “I know some people who were let go but then hired to another store because of my manager.” 

The sudden closures also impacted students’ social lives. Sophomore Josie Le Blanc said the locations were places students caught up with friends and visited with their families.

“I’m always on Ocean Park Boulevard, it was so close to so much,” Le Blanc said. “I would run into friends there, and it was just such a good community. I think that is the case for many of the Starbucks that are closing as well.”

Le Blanc said the closures will lead to larger crowds and longer traveling time to your nearest Starbucks.

“It will definitely grow the crowds, especially because we live in such a big city where Starbucks is so popular,” Le Blanc said. “With social media, too. Starbucks is only becoming more popular with the release of these new drinks. It might make wait times a ton longer than they used to be.” 

Gill said she was worried about workers being able to find another job.

“Getting a job takes a long time,” Gill said. “They needed a lot more time to do all of that rather than being told literally two days before it is closing.”