Angela In America: Why I Broke Up With Starbucks

You’re either a coffee person or you’re not. I’m a coffee person. (And decaf doesn’t count.)

The recent announcement by Starbucks that it will be closing stores and laying off about 900 corporate and support staff in North America as part of a $1 billion restructuring plan didn’t surprise me.

Although the company didn’t say exactly how many locations it will close, Starbucks set a goal of ending its fiscal year with about 18,300 total locations in North America—a figure analysts estimate could translate to roughly 400 stores closing nationwide, depending on new openings and remodels.

The famous 53-year-old coffee giant has been going through a midlife crisis of sorts: big expansion, lower customer satisfaction and, according to Fortune, six straight quarters of declining same-store sales.

As much as I love strong coffee, I confess my relationship with Starbucks has been unraveling for at least a decade. For a long time we were pretty hot for each other, almost inseparable, so it’s sad. I’m open to getting back together, but it’s going to take some work—and not on my part.

When Things Began To Unravel

The separation accelerated years ago with the rollout of so many ridiculous drink concoctions. I get the fall fun feeling around the popular Pumpkin Spice Latte, but did we need a Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino (2021) or the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher with a shot of espresso (2018)? We did not. Big turnoff.

I knew a breakup was brewing when someone ahead of me in line at the East Hampton Starbucks once ordered a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino, venti, with—are you ready—a double shot of espresso, five pumps of vanilla syrup, five pumps of caramel syrup, four pumps of white mocha sauce, light whipped cream, extra caramel drizzle and extra cookie-crumble toppings.

Is this type of attention-grabbing, sugar-high flex necessary?

I’m OK with the occasional foamy heart poured into my latte by an artful barista I barely know—lots of coffeehouses do it—but these over-the-top, customized, syrupy and bizarre concoctions only encourage the inner show-off. No wonder the Starbucks workforce seems so cranky.

Things weren’t always so complicated or frustrating.

Remember when Starbucks was the cool neighborhood hang—an air-conditioned oasis where you could plop yourself for hours, meet friends, nurse a simple cappuccino or latte, or pretend to write your thesis? Those were the days.

Now Starbucks feels more like a mobile-ordering drive-thru, where walk-ins are pushed aside or made to wait to keep up with the mobile crush. I find it unsettling to sit there with everyone standing around, hovering. And the prices are too high to justify the circus or the syrup.

And then there was the “warming duty” incident.

Years ago, when I worked at 30 Rock, I routinely ordered the Starbucks egg-white spinach wrap. I loved the sandwich and the fact that this location opened at 7 a.m.—it was right downstairs in the building. I must have ordered that sandwich at least three or four times a week for over a year.

One day, after asking for my regular spinach wrap, the woman behind the counter said bluntly, “I’m not on warming duty.”

“I’m sorry, ‘warming duty’?” There’s jury duty, military duty, but “warming duty”?

“I’m not on warming duty,” she repeated, turning in a huff. Seconds later she was arguing with a coworker she accused of shirking his warming duties. While they fought over who should press the button on the microwave to warm up my sandwich, the incident left me cold. Time to back off from this relationship, I thought. (The location closed soon thereafter.)

Remember The Good Old Days At Starbucks?

What happened to the welcoming attentive baristas eager to take and make your order? Now, more often than not, they seem overwhelmed, disinterested and the stores understaffed.

I believe it’s worse in New York City, where there is a Starbucks every few blocks—well, not anymore, now that nearly three dozen New York City locations are expected to close by the end of 2025, according to local reports.

These days I do pop in when my almost-12-year-old daughter asks for her occasional sweet treat: a Mocha Cookie Crumble, no caffeine. In the time it takes for someone to take her order and then construct that drink, she could build (and finish) an advanced Lego set. The crumble part, by the way, “never comes out the same,” she says, depending on location and barista. I see it as another $8 hit to my wallet.

The year-old CEO, Brian Niccol, is trying to fix all that. He managed to turn Chipotle around, so maybe he’ll deliver. The company has certainly invested big bucks in his star power. Under the new “Back to Starbucks” plan, the goal is to improve customer satisfaction, reduce menu options, train staff to engage more with customers and even ask workers to write special notes on a customer’s cup. Oh, and abide by the new “Four-Minute Rule,” which basically means aiming to deliver in-store customer orders in four minutes or less.

The company said in a statement it is closing underperforming locations and those that don’t meet or can’t be transformed into a “warm and welcoming” atmosphere for customers, while investing in new stores and renovating others.

Coffee Scene In The Hamptons Ups The Cups

The Starbucks in Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Southampton and Hampton Bays were among the first nationwide to be redesigned. The Starbucks in Westhampton Beach opened in February 2025, though I’ve heard grumblings from some locals who say they are “staying loyal” to Hamptons Coffee, which opened in Westhampton Beach in 2006—its second of seven locations on the East End. (The Hamptons Coffee location in Water Mill is my favorite.)

If Sag Harbor is any indication, there can be more than one happening coffeehouse in town when done right. Sagtown Coffee is always bustling, fun, crowded. Grindstone Coffee makes a quality brew, as does Jack’s (the Jack’s in Amagansett is larger with a great vibe). There’s also the quaint and Instagram-worthy Sage & Madison boutique for a hot or cold freshly roasted coffee enjoyed in their private garden.

In East Hampton, Tutto Caffe feels like an inviting, unpretentious luxury brand—civilized, peaceful and truly about the experience (no convenient outlets for plugging in your distracting laptop; you’re forced to focus on your drink and food when you’re not looking at your phone).

The East Hampton Starbucks on Main Street, with its great central location and outlet-friendly seating, is definitely a coffee hub, but the mobile area dominates, and with so many people standing and waiting for their order, it feels more like a bus stop at the Hampton Jitney than a relaxing place to sit and enjoy your beverage. I go there on occasion for an in-town meeting if it requires Wi-Fi and grab an Acai Strawberry Lemonade Refresher. Again, $8.

I’m not saying my breakup with Starbucks is for good. I want Starbucks to try to win me back. I believe in second chances. And we have too many good memories together to say goodbye forever. But I do have options—strong, caffeine-fix alternatives that charm me with their character. They are hard to resist.

That  said, after reading the news that the 80th Street and Second Avenue location in my neighborhood had closed, I walked over to see for myself and to pay my last respects. The Upper East Side store was dark and gloomy, as I remembered it. A notice from Starbucks was taped to the front door thanking customers “for being part of our story.”

Not my favorite location, I still felt for the people who lost their jobs so swiftly. Or maybe they were secretly relieved to be off warming duty. Who knows. Nothing is perfect.

That’s how the mocha cookie crumbles.

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .