LOS ANGELES – Six Starbucks locations in Los Angeles will be closing in the coming weeks. The giant coffee chain with plenty of sweet drinks is sugar-coating the reason for store closures by calling them a high frequency of “challenging incidents.”
Call it what you want, it’s criminal activity that has made employees and customers feel unsafe at the targeted locations that will be permanently shuttered.
A spokesperson for Starbucks said they were closing “high-incident stores” and said the company was “empowering local leaders, who have emphasized repeatedly that they care deeply about creating a safe and welcoming environment in the community,” KTLA reported.
The Starbucks spokesperson confirmed closures will take place at the following locations:
- 1st and Los Angeles (inside the Doubletree hotel)
- 2nd and San Pedro
- Hollywood and Vine
- Hollywood and Western
- Ocean Front Walk (Santa Monica Pier)
- Santa Monica and Westmount
The company provided KTLA with a letter from Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson, senior vice presidents of Starbucks U.S. operations.
In the communication to employees, the senior executives said the company was prioritizing “creating a safe, welcoming, and kind third place.”
Starbucks’ Third Place policy emphasizes that its venues should be a “safe and welcoming public space” and employees, such as baristas, are encouraged and expected to address “disruptive behaviors.”
Without articulating specific circumstances, the letter to employees heavily implies that complaints and incident reports at some locations have caused employees to feel unsafe or dissatisfied with working conditions, according to KTLA.
“We read every incident report you file – it’s a lot,” the employee letter reads.
Continuing, the executive correspondence says that Starbucks will evaluate modifying operations, closing bathrooms or closing stores altogether if specific locations cannot assure a safe environment for customers and employees.
The six store closures in Los Angeles are among 16 total operations that are closing their doors. There are additional closures taking place in Portland, Seattle, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., KTLA reported.
Employees at closing stores will have the opportunity to transfer to other locations, according to the company.
The listed locations are expected to close by the end of the month.
