Starbucks first opened its mobile pick-up cafes in 2019 in an effort to “address consumers’ desire for convenience,” according to CNBC. These cafes only accept orders from the Starbucks app. Niccol said that about 80 to 90 of these locations would be closed permanently or be converted into traditional coffeehouses.

The coffee giant is walking away from a format it once bet big on: the mobile-order-only store, dubbed “Starbucks Pick Up.” Around 80 to 90 of these stripped-down locations — places with no seats, no counter, and barely a presence — are being shut down through 2026.

Starbucks is planning a new coffeehouse “uplift” program designed to quickly replace thousands of seats that had been previously removed from stores.

The coffee chain is piloting a new store design, simplifying its menu, and trying other tactics to bring back customers.

The C.E.O., Brian Niccol, said the coffee chain’s turnaround was in progress, and sales in China increased for first time in more than a year.

Starbucks reported a bigger-than-expected fall in third-quarter global comparable sales on Tuesday, as the coffee chain operator grappled with waning demand in a cautious consumer spending environment.