It seems that everywhere we go, there is a Starbucks nearby. The ubiquitous brewer has changed the way we think about coffee. Starbucks taught us words like “barista” and “venti” that are now part of our everyday lexicon. The brand strives to produce delicious coffee and deliver it to our hands quickly. With more than 16,000 locations in the United States alone, you simply can’t deny the company’s success. But not every idea works, and even the county’s biggest coffee brewer has to admit its mistakes. According to USA Today, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said during the company’s July 29 earnings call that they would be discontinuing the Starbucks Pick Up locations. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Starbucks (@starbucks) Starbucks Pick Up Isn’t Working For The Brand According to Brian Niccol, the Starbucks Pick Up model isn’t the direction the company wants to move in. “We plan to sunset our mobile order and pick-up only concept in fiscal 2026. We found this format to be overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand. We have a strong digital offering and believe we can deliver the same level of convenience through our community coffeehouses with a superior mobile order and pay experience,” he said. Starbucks Pick Up locations began popping up in 2019. They currently have fewer than 100 in 20 states. According to USA Today, many will close permanently, while others will be transformed back into traditional Starbucks locations. “Together, we expect these changes to our operating model and our coffeehouse portfolio strategy will improve and transform the foundations of our North American business so that we are reestablishing that moment of connection between a barista and their customer, bringing back warm and welcoming coffeehouses with great seats, delivering drinks in four minutes or less in the cafe and drive-thru while bringing order to mobile order, rightsizing store renovations and new build costs, eliminating unproductive menu items and reducing our reliance on deep discounts and promotions. Because of this hard work, we are creating an operating platform to build on with a wave of innovation in 2026 across digital, loyalty, and our menu,” Brian Niccol shared of the Starbucks Pick Up locations and other corporate changes. This story’s featured image by Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images The post Starbucks CEO Announces Plans To “Sunset” Nearly 100 Concept Locations appeared first on InspireMore.