Starbucks has announced plans to relocate or add 2,000 jobs to Nashville, Tennessee, as part of its strategic expansion. The move comes amid ongoing closures in Seattle, including five additional store closures confirmed in March 2026. The company also closed the Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill in 2025.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, called for a boycott of Starbucks in 2025 during a barista picket line, stating, 'I am not buying Starbucks, and you should not either.' The Seattle Times labeled the remark a 'gaffe,' and KIRO Newsradio host Gee Scott criticized the mayor's statement, arguing it lacked diplomatic nuance. 'The comment should have never happened with the leader,' Scott said on 'The Gee and Ursula Show.' He emphasized the need for a 'grown-up discussion and conversation' rather than a boycott call.
Scott compared Seattle's treatment of businesses to other cities like Nashville and Austin, suggesting that Seattle's approach may have contributed to Starbucks' decision to expand elsewhere. 'Sometimes when you are in a relationship, and somebody just talked bad to you, or you’re at a job where you don’t feel appreciated, but you don’t have another job or other options, so you have to stick it out in that job,' he said. 'You have to be careful the way you talk to somebody that actually has an opportunity to leave.'
The relocation of jobs to Nashville has raised questions about Seattle's business climate and the impact of local policies on corporate decisions. Some critics argue that the mayor's boycott call may have further strained relations between the city and the coffee giant, while others contend that broader economic and regulatory factors played a larger role in Starbucks' decision.