The Starbucks at 245 East 80th Street is one of at least three on the UES that have just closed (Google Maps)
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At least three Starbucks locations on the Upper East Side have recently shuttered their doors as part of a broader nationwide wave of closures announced by the coffee giant last week.
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The locations that have closed include:- 1488 Third Avenue (at 84th Street)
- 245 East 80th Street (at Second Avenue)
- 11 East 59th Street (at Madison Avenue)
These closures came as Starbucks leadership outlined a significant restructuring effort aimed at reviving the company’s performance. In a September 25 letter to employees titled “An Important Update,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the company had been conducting a comprehensive review of its North American store portfolio and had identified “coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance.”
Niccol emphasized that this wasn’t part of the company’s usual rhythm of opening and closing stores based on leases or routine performance. Rather, this was described as a “more significant action” as Starbucks attempts to realign resources and rebuild its retail experience.
“We’re making good progress,” Niccol wrote, “but there is much more to do to build a better, stronger, and more resilient Starbucks.”
According to the company’s statements, the closures are expected to reduce Starbucks’ company-operated store count by about 1% in fiscal year 2025, even as the brand plans to open new stores elsewhere and update over 1,000 existing locations with more “texture, warmth, and layered design.” Starbucks said it hopes to begin growing the total number of stores again in fiscal year 2026.
While the company did not release an official list of locations being closed, The New York Times reported that around 400 stores are expected to be affected. The article also noted that Starbucks will take a $1 billion financial hit related to the closures and elimination of about 900 non-retail corporate jobs. The company had already cut 1,100 jobs earlier this year.
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Local customers on the Upper East Side may be surprised to find their regular neighborhood Starbucks gone, though the company says it is working to relocate employees to nearby stores where possible.Additional Upper East Side closures may yet emerge, but for now, these three join the growing list of shuttered storefronts as Starbucks recalibrates in the face of declining sales and shifting consumer expectations.
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