Credit: Photo via Flickr Creative Commons

The Starbucks coffee shop located in the Hanna Building (1400 Euclid Ave.) has permanently closed the café portion of its business. It has not, however, ceased to operate. In addition to app or mobile pay, customers can still pay via cash or credit card inside the store. They just can’t stick around to enjoy it.

Starbucks introduced pickup-only stores in response to the pandemic, but also appears to be converting traditional cafes into ghost cafes that require customers to order and pay via mobile app before grabbing their java. The days of walking into your favorite neighborhood Starbucks, ordering your beverage of choice and waiting until your name is mispronounced appear to be numbered.

This article appears in Nov 2-15, 2022.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.