Starbucks’s New Cafes and Drive-Thrus Are a Pivot From Its ‘Third Place’ Coffeeshop Origins | Eater
"Once positioned as a welcoming “third place” with widely available power outlets and a sleek West Coast vibe—and famous for trend-setting drinks like the Frappuccino and the “pink drink”—the chain is shifting toward a fast-food, volume-driven model. Local managers have increasingly covered outlets (a change viralized in a barista-filmed TikTok that blamed unhoused people charging devices), the Pickup-format stores omit seating and public restrooms, and the company plans to add drive-thru windows and automated machines to speed service in roughly 90% of new locations. Although the brand long touted progressive benefits—trans-inclusive health coverage, college tuition assistance, and an early $15 wage—it now faces criticism for lower average pay than some big employers and for aggressive anti-union tactics: workers across many stores have filed complaints, organizers say employees have been fired or threatened (including an NLRB complaint from an Oklahoma City store alleging threats to trans-inclusive benefits), and the NLRB has sanctioned the company multiple times. That oppositional stance has eroded the company’s community-oriented image, alienated customers (a More Perfect Union study found about 69% of customers support unionization) and left many questioning whether paying a premium for familiar café drinks and atmosphere is still justified." - Amy McCarthy
