PITTSBURGH — Hundreds of Starbucks locations are closing this year, and at least two of them are in the Pittsburgh region.
Earlier in the week, Starbucks revealed plans to shut down 250 locations across North America. Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams told employees in a letter that the stores slated to close do not deliver acceptable financial results or have the correct customer experience, The Associated Press reported.
While the full list of locations is not public, Channel 11 learned through Starbucks Workers United that 20 union stores are being shuttered. That includes the cafe on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood.
The Bloomfield cafe is the first local Starbucks to unionize back in 2022.
Starbucks says customers will start seeing signs on affected cafes this weekend, and the closures will be reflected in its app.
Saturday evening, Channel 11 confirmed through the app that the location in Burrell Township, Indiana County, has also closed.
Starbucks says the closures are part of its years-long plan to reverse a sales slump. The Starbucks Workers United, however, calls it a “betrayal.”
“As Starbucks continues to close stores, violate labor law, hike up our healthcare premiums, and betray its core value of belonging to appease right-wing politicians, the company is moving farther away from everything it once was. Starbucks is becoming unrecognizable under CEO Brian Niccol—and that is why labor allies, elected officials, and customers are all joining together to boycott Starbucks until they finalize a fair union contract,” a statement from Starbucks Workers United said in part.
The union says it’s sending a formal request for information to Starbucks about the planned closures and expects to engage in bargaining efforts for every impacted union store.
The Office of the Allegheny County issued this statement about the Bloomfield Starbucks closing:
“Coffee shops are an important part of any community. And while we always support local businesses, it’s disappointing to see the Starbucks Corporation target the first unionized store in Pennsylvania for closure.
“I stand shoulder to shoulder with the workers fighting for better existence in an economy that is too often failing everyone from baristas to bricklayers.
“I know our community will support Starbucks workers as they transition to new roles and keep fighting for better conditions for us all.”
Several Pittsburgh-area Starbucks locations have closed in recent years. Just last month, unionized Cafes in The Village of East Side in East Liberty and on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill closed.
The Starbucks at The Mall of Robinson has also shut down, and a year ago, locations in Lawrenceville, the North Side and the South Side closed.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS
©2026 Cox Media Group