The Castro’s central Starbucks — ‘Bearbucks’ — shutters abruptly

The Starbucks in San Francisco’s Castro District appears to have closed abruptly. 

As of Thursday afternoon, the coffee behemoth’s location at 4094 18th St. now has a sign posted to the window announcing the closure and thanking customers.

“We know this may be hard to hear—because this isn’t just any store. It’s your coffeehouse,” the sign reads in part. 

It further promises that the baristas, or “partners” in company parlance, will be supported during the closure. A QR code at the bottom of the note directs would-be latte drinkers to other locations.

Reached by phone, an unnamed employee at the location confirmed the closure and immediately hung up. Sam Jefferies, a member of Starbucks’ media relations team, further confirmed the closure by email and included a Sept. 25 message from CEO Brian Niccol regarding a strategy to reduce the company’s footprint.

Affectionately known as “Bearbucks” — owing to the prevalence of LGBTQ+ customers — that location was the first Starbucks in the city to unionize, during a nationwide push in 2022. At the time, workers cited numerous difficulties at the cafe during and after the pandemic, including a four-month closure for plumbing issues. 

However, Jefferies’ email stated that unionization status was not a factor in the closure.

The Castro location is far from the only Starbucks to close in recent months. Citing declining sales, the company has shuttered at least six cafes in San Francisco in the past year, most of them downtown.