It Was One Of The First Locations To Unionize. It Hosted A Union Rally Just Days Ago. Today Starbucks Abruptly Closes Its Iconic Seattle Reserve Roastery. – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks is closing its Seattle Reserve Roastery and the Starbucks Reserve store in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood, as part of a turnaround plan. The company has previously announced laying off approximately 900 non-retail employees and closing several U.S. and Canadian stores to focus resources on a turnaround. Starbucks is closing stores where it cannot create the physical environment customers and partners expect or where it doesn’t see a path to financial performance. The Capitol Hill Reserve Roastery is one of the locations that will be shuttered. The Reserve Roastery first opened in December 2014 and features exclusive coffees, signature cocktails, a more elaborate food menu, and a hands-on coffee experience. It is the only other city in the world with a Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Starbucks also announced that it expects to end its fiscal year with 18,300 stores in North America, down 124 from last year. It’s rare for Starbucks to shrink its store count during a fiscal year. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol stated that closing any location is a more significant action that will impact partners and customers, as coffeehouses are centers of the community.

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