Starbucks Shutting Hundreds Of Cafes, Opening Pickup-only Stores

Irene Jiang / Business Insider Starbucks opened its first-ever Starbucks Pickup store in November, a pickup-only location that lets customers order ahead through the chain's mobile app and pick up their orders in-store.

The pandemic has forced the coffee chain to lean into the pickup-only store format.

Starbucks plans to shut around 400 sit-down cafes and build around 300 new pickup-only stores.

I visited the Starbucks Pickup store in Manhattan, New York, and was impressed by the concept.

Pickup's speedy, high-tech system for ordering coffee could definitely transform the fast-coffee industry.