Starbucks closing it's 4th SF location in 7 months

How will San Franciscans survive with four fewer Starbucks locations???

good news

Well - the downside is that Starbucks can be a traffic hub for other businesses. It can pull down an area - like it or not. It can also lift it up.

I have a feeling they may be rebelling against rent increases - which is fair.

It's insane what commercial rents are going for - fucking greedy fucks.

They are closing a location that's been open in the same spot for 30 YEARS. Something's going on with the rent - it's costly to move operations.

Where will all the homeless people congregate and beg patrons for money?

How will the houseless have healthy bowel movements without their morning joe

[QUOTE]I have a feeling they may be rebelling against rent increases - which is fair. It's insane what commercial rents are going for - fucking greedy fucks.

If businesses have been closing since the pandemic, wouldn't an over-supply of commercial space mean lower rents?

R6 - you would think - but that's not what they do - particularly if you've been there a long time. They figure you love the location, so let's increase it yet again.

Then the real estate owners think - well, now I've got a former Starbucks space to sell to people and they'll think - hey it was good enough for Starbucks... but then a new business can NOT afford that rent with a new business when nobody knows who you are.

It's stupid greed.

Thank you, r7. That makes sense in our topsy turvy nonsense.

R7 Well put. I’d also say that some of these property owners are stupidly rich and distant. It’s amazing how many of them just don’t care (or know). Many hire incompetent property managers (or worse, relatives), and the cycle continues.

R7 The other bout of stupidity in that logic… so some mom and pop comes along and is going to think, “Hey, Starbucks couldn’t survive here… but we will thrive! Sign me up!”

"Are we in this Starbucks or the one down the street?"

R10 - but THEIR business is going to be DIFFERENT. It's more local and community-based, not some big soulless corporate place like Starbucks. People will want to pay 20-40% more for their coffee and scone because it's made with love by someone who really respects the community and wants to provide a safe place for all people, blah, blah, blah.

Most new businesses lose money the first year - so they'll chalk that up to being new. Then 2nd year they're scrambling, trying new things to increase business - changing up the menu, 'investing' a lot of money into ads that don't pay off.

18 months later - 'the retail climate is just not good right now'. And another empty storefront.

Personally, I think there should be fines for empty retail space unless they can prove that rent prices are not excessive in relation to ownership/maintenance costs. That would change a lot of things.

I was very sorry to see the Pac Heights location close. The people who worked there were always really nice. Luckily, they transferred to other locations, so I still get to see them around.

Their coffee is nasty anyway.

Maybe with the proliferation of coffee pod machines and stanley cups people have finally gotten the hang of portable homebrewed coffee.

Employees making progress in getting unionized would do it.

R16 - there's no correlation - that's bullshit speculation and GOP talking point.

I’ve noticed NYC Starbucks stores closing too. I think the competition is rough—with tons of gourmet coffee places opening up, most of them cheaper

Near where I work, MATTO, a relatively new coffee and pastry chain opened up two spots down from a. Starbucks . Everything in the store was $2.50. Coffee was pretty good. Everyone switched to it overnight. Within 2 years, the Starbucks closed

[QUOTE]Employees making progress in getting unionized would do it.

Would do what?

San Francisco is still an armpit of a city and the recovery... from the pandemic exodus, trash and more trash, homeless bums and junkies, etc... is glacial at best.

The SF commercial real estate market continues to be one of the worst in the country. This particular Starbucks might be using the "lease" as just an excuse to finally get out after trying their best to stay afloat in an otherwise disgusting environment.