Starbucks Is Taking A Break On Happy Hour Promotions

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Photo courtesy of Starbucks

Starbucks is taking a break from its popular Happy Hour promotion aimed at driving traffic and sales in the afternoon, citing the increase in the number of coronavirus cases and a desire to keep its employees safe.

The company said that it would pause its Happy Hour promotions this month and on Jan. 7. It said it would temporarily move to other promotions such as Double Star Days and would “reassess future plans as we continue to monitor the situation.”

The company has been using Happy Hour promotion on select Thursdays between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at participating stores in which the chain offers two-for-one promotions. It is particularly aimed at users of the Starbucks app who get notifications on such offers.

But workers have grown increasingly concerned about their exposure to the coronavirus as the pandemic has surged again—more than 300,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19.

“Given the rise in cases and the current guidance from the scientific community not to gather in large groups for prolonged periods of time, we decided to pause Happy Hours in December and Jan. 7,” the company said in a statement.

“We will always prioritize your safety and in this moment, we all have a role and responsibility as Starbucks partners to protect each other,k our customers and our business as we navigate this pandemic,” Rossann Williams, president of Starbucks’ company-operated business in the U.S. and Canada, said in a letter to employees Dec. 1.

The decision comes as Starbucks has increased pay for its workers by at least 10%, bringing 30% of its hourly employees to $15 an hour—with plans to make that 100% within three years.

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coffee coronavirus_chains News Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. View All Articles by This Author