Starbucks announces it will move or hire 2,000 workers in new Nashville office

Just six weeks after announcing a new corporate office in Nashville, Starbucks announced Tuesday that it will move or hire 2,000 employees in Tennessee over the next five years, a figure that could amount to more than half of its current Seattle-area workforce.

The move represents a $100 million investment and cements Nashville’s growing reputation as a magnet for major employers. Amazon, another Seattle-based giant, already employs more than 3,000 workers there.

While Starbucks talks about expansion in Tennessee, its footprint in Seattle has been moving in the opposite direction. The company closed five Seattle stores in early April, including four unionized locations, even in high-traffic areas near Seattle Center and the Space Needle.

That follows a string of other closures, including both Seattle Reserve Roasteries in Capitol Hill and SoDo, once considered flagship, high-performing locations. Starbucks has also carried out major layoffs, cutting over 1,100 corporate jobs globally in 2025, including more than 900 in the Seattle and Kent areas.

And according to sources who spoke to The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Starbucks has already paid out the remainder of a lease on a Seattle-area office and vacated the building ahead of its Nashville expansion, a sign the shift may already be underway on the ground. The company has not publicly confirmed that detail.

The changes come after months of labor unrest centered in Seattle. In November 2025, unionized Starbucks workers launched a nationwide strike on Red Cup Day, one of the company’s busiest days. The strike spread across hundreds of stores, including key locations in Seattle. Soon after, protesters set up an encampment outside Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters, escalating tensions.

The demonstrations drew backing from prominent Democrats, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Ro Khanna. Jayapal visited the encampment and called on corporations to “pay their fair share.”

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson also joined striking workers on the picket line shortly after her election victory. Despite the exodus, Wilson told Northwest News Radio in a statement: “Starbucks is a core part of Seattle's identity-we're proud to be home to its first store, its headquarters, and so many of the workers who make this company what it is.”

She added, “We're focused on maintaining a strong partnership with leadership and with employees so Starbucks continues to succeed in the city where it all began.”

Though Starbucks insists it “will maintain a large presence” at the headquarters in Seattle, many are skeptical that the coffee giant will remain in the Emerald City. The scale of the project in Nashville includes 2,000 jobs, potentially rivaling the size of the current Seattle workforce.

Especially as the announcement comes amid new tax policies in Washington, including a controversial income tax and increases to business taxes, which critics say could push companies and talent elsewhere.

Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announced he was moving to Florida from Seattle the day the tax was passed by Democrats in the Washington State Legislature.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol called the decision part of the company’s long-term strategy. “We’re establishing really a strategic presence,” Niccol said. “It sets us up for our next chapter of growth.” He pointed directly to Tennessee’s business climate as a factor. “You’ve created a really strong business climate, a skilled workforce, and conditions that are conducive to us being able to expand our footprint.”

At a press conference, Gov. Bill Lee celebrated the announcement as a major win. “When a company like Starbucks decides to make this kind of an investment into our community, our people are going to benefit from that,” Lee said, calling it “an announcement that they’ll all be envious of.”