"Workers at the popular Snelling and Marshall Avenues Starbucks have closed down the coffee shop’s perpetually busy and controversial drive-thru. A representative for the Seattle-based coffee company called the move a “pause,” but could offer no insight into how long the drive-thru would remain closed while customers are directed to order in-store or over an app. The closure came over store employee objections to a city-mandated police presence. Managed by six to seven off-duty St. Paul police officers hired by Starbucks, traffic requires vehicles to funnel one small entrance/exit off Marshall Avenue, near Snelling Avenue, one of the city’s most-traveled thoroughfares. The pandemic has given Starbucks the opportunity to shift business models, with a focus on more mobile and drive-thru customers. The St. Paul location on Snelling and Marshall is reported to be one of the busiest locations in the state." - Joy Summers
