Starbucks Closing Hundreds of More Locations

Niccol noted on the call that Starbucks currently has between 80 and 90 mobile order and pickup locations nationwide.

As far as standard coffeehouses go, there are more than 17,000.

The move away from the mobile and pickup order model follows along the theme of Back to Starbucks, which centers on coffee quality, simplified menus, community initatives, a personalized guest experience, and a neighborhood cafe-like feeling.

Some Back to Starbucks changes customers may have seen already this year include self-serve condiment bars, free refills on hot or ice-brewed coffees, and the return of hand-written labels on to-go cups.

There's also a strong emphasis on reducing order wait times to less than four minutes after complaints, something Niccol said has improved drastically.

Getting Back Up

Starbucks' actions to improve its business operations and customer experience also come not long after it was dethroned as the top-ranked restaurant in terms of value for Americans this spring.

McDonald's took over the title again after the coffeehouse chain stole it from the fast food giant in 2016.

While McDonald's value grew about 7%, Starbucks' dropped by 36%.

In 2023, coffee chain Luckin Coffee also became the largest in China, again dethroning Starbucks from a top-ranked spot.

Luckin Coffee is expanding to the United States for the first time.

Still, mass closures have been a consistent trend for national chains this year amid Starbucks decision to close mobile-order-only spots.

A beloved burger chain is axing at least 79 spots in the coming months, leaving just 34 left for longtime fans.

After shutter 15 spots in May, a popular restaurant also confirmed it would "sell off" all remaining locations this summer.

Some chains like Hooters have filed for bankruptcy and are restructuring.

The same goes for a well-known gastro-pub, which has less than 100 locations remaining nationwide.