Business
Washington Starbucks Closures: 51 Workers Face Layoffs Nov. 14
Seattle, WA – Starbucks plans to permanently close five coffeehouses across Washington, affecting dozens of workers in Seattle, Redmond, Spokane and Vancouver as layoffs begin Nov. 14.
By Elliot Vaughn · 2026-10-07T23:28:03.357Z
Seattle, WA – Starbucks plans to permanently close five coffeehouses across Washington, affecting dozens of workers in Seattle, Redmond, Spokane and Vancouver as layoffs begin Nov. 14.
According to an Oct. 7 WARN notice submitted to the Washington Employment Security Department, the company expects 51 employees to be affected by the five store closures. An additional eight employees who work at or report to Starbucks' Seattle Support Center at 2401 Utah Ave. S. will also face a reduction in force.
The notice says employee termination dates are expected to run from Nov. 14 through Dec. 4. Starbucks said affected employees were provided at least 60 days' advance notice and that the terminations will be permanent.
Some employees will reportedly be offered transfers to other Starbucks coffeehouses in their areas. However, the company said the five locations listed in the WARN filing are expected to close permanently.
The closures reach several of Washington's largest population centers, including Seattle in King County and Spokane in Spokane County, along with Redmond and Vancouver. That gives the employment action an impact stretching from the Seattle metro area to eastern and southwestern Washington.
Starbucks said most affected employees are not represented by a union and do not have bumping rights. The company added that some workers at three stores are union represented and that the appropriate union representative has been notified.
The WARN notice identifies the action as a total closure of five Starbucks coffeehouses, alongside the separate workforce reduction at the Seattle Support Center. The filing states that the closures and layoffs will not result in the relocation or contracting out of company operations or employees' positions.