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Steamed Out

If you've ever picked up a lukewarm flat white in a Starbucks that felt more like a hallway than a café, you probably won't be shocked by this news. The company plans to eliminate its pickup-only concept. 


Dozens of Starbucks' mobile order and pickup-only locations will either close or be converted to more traditional stores with seating.


Here is the scoop.



Editors' Note: A previous version of this story suggested that Starbucks was closing all of its mobile order and pickup locations, rather than converting some of them. We regret the error.

JiHae L. / Yelp

What Is Starbucks Closing?

The coffee giant is walking away from a format it once bet big on: the mobile order and pickup-only store, dubbed “Starbucks Pick Up.” Around 80 to 90 of these stripped-down locations — places with no seats and no counter — will close or be converted into the more traditional coffeehouse-style location with seating through 2026.

notoriousfilmer/Reddit.com

What Went Wrong?

They weren’t failing, but they weren’t working either, meaning that people used them, but they didn’t care about them. These shops didn’t offer a reason to return beyond convenience. And in a brand built around routine and atmosphere, that matters. 


“We found this format to be overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on a company earnings call.


Starbucks will continue to offer mobile ordering and in 2026, plans to unveil a new Starbucks app and offer enhancements to its mobile order and pay process.

HsiaoCheng W. / Yelp

Where Are These Stores?

According to USA Today, the locations span more than 20 states and include city centers, college campuses, airport terminals, hospitals, and high-traffic commuter areas. Some were tucked into office towers or transit stations, others operated quietly inside retail complexes.


Starbucks tells Cheapism that the company has not yet unveiled which pickup-only locations will close and which will be converted to stores with seating.  

dszc/istockphoto

Arizona

  • 55th St & Broadway, Tempe
  • Speedway & N Park Ave, Tucson
  • Arizona Ave & Loop 202, Chandler
ViewApart/istockphoto

California

  • Artesia & Flagler, Redondo Beach
  • Base Line Rd & Day Creek Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga
  • Brand & Milford, Glendale
  • Broadway & 8th, Los Angeles
  • Broadway Ave & Curtis St, Salida
  • Broadway & Front, San Diego
  • California St & Drumm St, San Francisco
  • Hwy 1 & Belleville, Half Moon Bay
  • Main & Ashland, Santa Monica
  • Mountain & Hawthorne, Ontario
  • National & Overland, Los Angeles
  • N Pepper Ave & W Valley Blvd, Colton
  • S Santa Fe Ave & E 3rd St, Los Angeles
  • Sierra & Marygold, Fontana
  • Union Station East Portal, Los Angeles
  • Verdugo & Cañada, Glendale
  • S Western Ave & Venice Blvd, Los Angeles
  • Wilshire & Western Ave, Los Angeles
  • Yorba Linda & Lakeview, Yorba Linda
  • Gilroy Town Center, Gilroy
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Colorado

  • Laurel & College, Fort Collins
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Connecticut

  • Barnum Avenue, Stratford
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Georgia

  • Piedmont & Auburn, Atlanta
Art Wager/istockphoto

Hawaii

  • King St & Alakea, Honolulu
traveler1116/istockphoto

Florida

  • Biscayne & NE 3rd St, Miami
  • FSU Azalea Hall
Jeremy Poland/istockphoto

Illinois

  • 55th & Woodlawn, Hyde Park
  • 227 W Monroe, Chicago
  • 555 S Dearborn, Chicago
  • 2063 N Clark, Dickens
  • Addison & Sheffield, Chicago
  • Golf & Higgins, Schaumburg
  • Lake & Waukegan, Glenview
  • Prentice Women’s Hospital, Chicago
  • Wrightwood & Racine, Chicago
Nicholas Klein/istockphoto

Indiana

  • Lima & Ludwig, Fort Wayne
  • Plainfield‑127th & Route 59, Plainfield
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Maryland

  • Towson Armory Building, Towson
  • Dulaney Plaza, Towson
  • JHH Weinberg Building — secure access, Baltimore
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Massachusetts

  • Lechmere, Cambridge
  • Tufts Medford, Medford
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston
Craig Rinzema/istockphoto

Michigan

  • Ionia & Oakes, Grand Rapids
Davel5957/istockphoto

Minnesota

  • 33 S 6th St (Skyway), Minneapolis
  • Nicollet & 26th St, Minneapolis
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New York

  • 13th & University, Manhattan
  • 40th & 8th w/Amazon Go, Manhattan
  • 42nd & Park (TD Bank), Manhattan
  • 52nd & 7th, Manhattan
  • 56th & 2nd, Manhattan
  • 59th (Park & Lex) w/Amazon Go, Manhattan
  • 5th Ave between 41st & 42nd, Manhattan
  • 67th St & Columbus Ave, Manhattan
  • 76th & 2nd, Manhattan
  • Broadway between 36th & 37th, Manhattan
  • Carmine & Varick, Manhattan
  • Deer Park Ave & Woods Rd, North Babylon
  • Pace University, New York City
  • Sawyer Place, Yonkers
Kruck20/istockphoto

North Carolina

  • 601 Tryon (Ally CLT Center), Charlotte
  • 9th Street Duke, Durham
  • Hillsborough & Pogue St, Raleigh
espiegle/istockphoto

Ohio

  • Miami University (Bell Tower), Oxford
  • Ohio State University (Neil & 11th), Columbus
  • Princeton & Glendale Rd, Hamilton
garett_mosher/istockphoto

Oklahoma

  • 12th St & Moore Ave, Moore
joshuaraineyphotography/istockphoto

Oregon

  • Knight Campus, University of Oregon, Eugene
Olga Kaya/istockphoto

Pennsylvania

  • 17th & Chestnut, Philadelphia
  • Springfield, Pike County
Sean Pavone/istockphoto

South Carolina

  • Camperdown Plaza, Greenville
Art Wager/istockphoto