Popular Coffee Chain Shuts Down Multiple Locations In Major California City

While there are plenty of copycat Starbucks recipes out there to conveniently satisfy your coffee and dessert cravings at home, there's nothing like the real thing. With nearly 40,200 locations all over the globe, Starbucks is easily the biggest coffee chain in the world. However, the iconic business has experienced some major setbacks in the San Francisco market lately, at least according to its surprising number of recent closures.

Since November 2024, Starbucks has shuttered four locations in the city, including one location that was in operation for three decades. The fourth in this spate of closures, as reported by KRON4, will shutter the location at 1255 Battery Street in Levi Strauss Plaza, effective May 16, 2025. And lest you think the recent San Francisco closures were a mere fluke, the massive coffee chain closed a whopping seven stores in the city back in 2023.

Our list of beloved chain restaurants that we may lose in 2025 illustrates the obstacles establishments like Red Lobster and TGI Fridays are currently facing. While Starbucks' situation certainly isn't that dire, global sales at the chain have been lackluster in 2025 when compared to previous years. Additionally, many customers complain that the experience they've come to love from Starbucks just doesn't exist anymore, which may be contributing to diminished traffic at the coffee chain.

Starbucks is no stranger to controversy, as the chain has experienced scandals linked to everything from the ingredients used in its drinks to more serious allegations of racial profiling within its stores (which led to what many view as the wrongful arrest of two men in 2018). As for the reason behind the chain's multi-year San Francisco store closures, Starbucks claims that closing stores is primarily done to ensure that customers have the best possible experience. However, many of the closures taking place from 2023 to 2025 involved stores nearing the end of their leases, which the company decided not to renew.

As reported by The Real Deal, the chain may have been a bit overzealous when opening San Francisco locations in the past, which means that stores were essentially competing against one another and dragging down the brand's bottom line as a whole. The outlet also reported that Starbucks attempted to slash its rent at select locations by as much as half and chose to close stores when these efforts were unsuccessful. While these closures have alarmed some in the community, rest assured that San Francisco still has almost 50 locations open for business, which is surely good news for Starbucks fans in the area.