Another Starbucks store has closed its doors abruptly after the area it serves has seen a shocking increase in crime.
A branch of the coffee chain in Winnipeg, Canada, put up a sign on May 31 revealing that it has permanently closed.
It came after a separate note was initially placed on the door, explaining that the store had temporarily shut with no warning as of May 5.
The abrupt closure is to ‘protect the customer experience’ following a concerning number of violent crimes taking place in the River-Osborne area where the store is located, with a strangling incident being the last straw.
It comes as the latest of dozens of stores that Starbucks has closed in recent years amid fears for customer and staff safety in crime-ridden areas, including San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles.
A branch of the coffee chain in Winnipeg, Canada, put up a sign on May 31 revealing that it has permanently closed
According to data from Winnipeg Police, the River-Osborne area saw a 44.6% increase in overall crime from 2022 to 2023.
Citing an incident that occured one day before the store’s closure, Winnipeg Police Service Cost, Dani McKinnon told CBC that a customer was waiting in line outside of the Liquor Mart, next to the Starbucks, around 7 p.m. on May 1 when they were randomly attacked.
Staff quickly intervened in the assault and the victim was okay, the police officer confirmed.
A 39-year-old man was tasered by officers outside of the Liquor Mart next door and later charged with assault by choking, suffocating or strangling, she said.
Just a few days after the crime took place, customers who were hoping to get coffee at the store between River Avenue and Osborne Street were instead met with the sign that explained the branch was temporarily closed.
It read: ‘We would like to thank you for being part of our store community; you are the heart of who we are at Starbucks.
‘We are very thankful to have played a role in your daily routine and that you have shared these moments of your life with us.’
But, after no news of a reopening date, it was last week revealed that the branch is actually closing permanently.
According to Winnipeg Free Press, baristas were trained to tell customers: ‘It’s just so we can protect the (employee) and customer experience’.
But, after no news of a reopening date, it was last week revealed that the branch is actually closing permanently
The closure follows a number of concerning violent crimes taking place in the River-Osborne area where the store is located, with a strangling incident being the last straw
Winnipeg Police Service Cost, Dani McKinnon told CBC that a customer was waiting in line outside of the Liquor Mart, next to the Starbucks, around 7 p.m. on May 1 when they were randomly attacked
The company’s communications manager Leanna Rizzi told the outlet that the decision to close temporarily came after ‘careful consideration’.
A note that appeared on the front door of the store last week read: ‘As of May 31, your Starbucks Osborne location at 481 River Ave. has permanently closed.
‘We would like to thank you for being part of our store community. You are the heart of who we are at Starbucks. It has been a great pleasure to connect with you every day.
‘We are very thankful to have played a role in your daily routine and that you have shared these moments of your life with us.’
Just one month before the assault, police say a woman was stabbed at a bus stop near the River and Osborne intersection, as well as another serious assault incident, reports CTV News Winnipeg.
The outlet added that in February, another man was stabbed at the Osborne Transit Station, and in November 2023 there was a triple stabbing at the Shoppers Drug Mart.
Zohreh Gervais, the executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ, a non-profit business member organization in the community, said that ‘the level of violent incidents’ that are going on are ‘truly system failures’.
In October 2023, it was announced that seven stores in San Francisco’s downtown area were closing
Those who were previously working at the Osborne Village Starbucks have reportedly been offered the opportunity to transfer to another nearby location.
And this isn’t the first Starbucks store that’s been forced to close due to rampant crime.
In October 2023, it was announced that seven stores in San Francisco’s downtown area were closing as the city continued to deal with crime, drug use, and a homelessness epidemic.
And back in July 2022, the coffee giant closed more than a dozen stores due to reports of rife drug use and disturbances by brazen members of the public at the popular cafés.
The reported disruptions include drug use by paying customers and, more often than not, members of the public – who often take advantage of the company’s open bathroom policy, which allows nonpaying patrons to use their facilities.
As a result, the lavatories had in large part devolved into dens of debauchery, regularly used by vagrants and homeless to do drugs and engage in other illicit behavior.
Reports of assaults were also commonplace in the cities set to see closures, which include the company’s hometown of Seattle, as well as five other municipalities.
Those stores were in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, and Washington, DC.
