Starbucks will close hundreds of locations across North America – including its Park Avenue shop in Rochester, New York – and cut roughly 900 jobs as part of its Back to Starbucks transformation strategy.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol shared the plan with employees on Thursday, Sept. 25, but did not provide a full list of locations set to close.
The Park Avenue coffee shop at 644 Park Ave. – which opened nearly two years ago in the former site of a laundromat – posted signs the same day announcing it will close by the end of the week. Employees confirmed the store will officially close on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The shop opened in late 2023, replacing a laundromat that operated there for nearly 50 years until 2019. The storefront is located just west of Berkeley Street on Park Avenue.
While Starbucks did not detail which stores are closing, the company will have about 18,300 coffee shops by the end of its fiscal year, down from 18,734 as of June 29, 2025, , according to its most recent quarterly earnings release. This means Starbucks will have roughly 430 fewer locations across the U.S. and Canada.
According to Niccol’s memo to employees, the company will close stores “where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance.”
Employees at closing stores will be notified this week and offered transfers to nearby locations. The job cuts, affecting roughly 900 “non-retail partner roles,” are part of Starbucks’ goal to “build toward a better Starbucks.” Those impacted were notified on Friday, Sept. 26, and will receive severance and benefits extensions.
The Park Avenue Starbucks was one of four locations within Rochester city limits. The others are on Blossom Road (near North Winton Road), Mount Hope Avenue, and on the University of Rochester campus. A fifth location is set to open at Rochester’s Five Star Bank on Chestnut Street.
Starbucks operates over 700 locations in New York.
Starbucks cutting jobs, closing some locations
These changes are part of the “Back to Starbucks” strategy, introduced by Niccol, the former Chipotle CEO who became Starbucks’ chief executive in September 2024.
“We’re investing in green apron partner hours, more partners in stores, exceptional customer service, elevated coffeehouse designs, and innovation to create the future,” Niccol said. “We will continue to carefully manage costs and focus on key areas that drive long-term growth.”
Under Niccol’s, Starbucks has opened new locations and upgraded many existing stores, adding more seating, power outlets, and free coffee refills. The company plans to “uplift more than 1,000 locations to introduce greater texture, warmth, and layered design,” Niccol said.
Starbucks Workers United, which represents 12,000 baristas across 45 states and D.C., said it will formally request information about the planned closures.
“We expect to engage in effects bargaining for every impacted union store, so workers can be placed in another Starbucks store according to their preferences,” the union said.
What other Starbucks stores are closing?
The company did not release a list of stores that it is set to close, however, The Seattle Times confirmed that its Reserve Roastery and Reserve store in the company’s headquarters are among the stores set to shutter.
The Starbucks app will update to reflect closures on Sunday, Sept. 28.
A public Google Sheet tracking likely closures has over 200 entries, and a related Reddit thread has more than 230 comments. Over 30 New York Starbucks locations are listed – mostly in New York City – but the Park Avenue Rochester store is not among them, suggesting the list is incomplete.
Includes reporting by USA Today reporter Mike Snider and James Powel
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: At least one upstate NY Starbucks is closing. How many more could be next?
Reporting by Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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