Staffing Issues Lead To Starbucks Closures Across San Francisco

Starbucks has had a particularly tough time keeping up with the staffing shortage issues currently plaguing the food industry. According to USA Today, some of the restaurant chain's cafés have had to limit their operating hours or temporarily close while finding ways to keep customers on board with the changes. For example, the company has extended membership reward expiration dates in some cases. Insider reports that these labor issues have also translated to higher menu prices while the company continues to try and pull in a profit, even as mobile app orders have been canceled as a result of employees calling out sick.

The noticeable shift in staffing has led Starbucks to respond, promising its customers that things should look normal again soon, per Food & Wine. Despite the promises, the coffee giant continues to see issues across the U.S., with locations out West seemingly in the greatest peril. According to SFist, San Franciscans may have noticed the biggest brunt with local Starbucks appearing to have temporarily shuttered or operating with shorter-than-average hours. These issues, it seems, also have the potential to impact fans of the brand for the near future, too as the pandemic rages on and employees walk off the job due to allegations of uncompensated overtime wages and efforts to thwart unionization.

SFist reports that San Francisco Starbucks locations in particular have felt the effects of a lack of workers out of all the areas in which the brand has a presence. Currently, "nearly two dozen" Starbucks locations across the Bay Area have shuttered or faced shorter hours due to this staff shortage, the article notes. And many locations have additionally seen issues when it comes to filling mobile orders.

Corporate headquarters have directly addressed the situation, releasing a statement that reads, "As we have since the beginning of the pandemic, local leaders can and do scale operations based on partner availability and local COVID-19 factors. When a store is experiencing a temporary staff shortage, we respond by reducing hours to be mindful that our partners aren't overworked — prioritizing their health and well-being in our decision-making. These decisions are made on a store-by-store and market-by-market basis."

It now appears that Starbucks lovers across the city may find themselves in dire straits for the time being. Until the brand can find ways to keep producing coffee at the volume it's known for, many customers may have to look elsewhere in order to get their daily cups of joe.