Rumors Swirling On Why A Local Starbucks Closed Abruptly

I was literally there today around noon. My usual Starbucks fix that had me sitting in the drive-thru longer than usual due to current restrictions. By 3:00pm rumors started swirling as to why the doors were locked at the downtown Grand Blanc Starbucks.

The sign on the door simply reads. "Our store is temporarily closed. Please Accept our apologies for any inconvenience. We are working to re-open our store as quickly as possible". The South Saginaw Street  location was busy as usual most of the day. So what changed?

Right now social media is a buzz with questions and assumptions. On the Facebook page, Grand Blanc Residents Uncensored, one resident brought the quick closing to light by saying,"There was an employee standing in the drive thru and said 'sorry, we will be closed today and tomorrow', I asked why and she said Starbucks reasons".  As residents stared to chime in one noted she was actually an employee there and that they were going to be closed for 2 weeks.

That comment sent the wheels in motion for more questions as to whether the closure was COVID-19 related. Did an employee test positive? The online employee would only say she was "unable to comment" on the reason, but only say that they would be closed.

As the thread continued the next question being asked was, is it due to the scheduled rally talking place Friday night in Grand Blanc. Organizers are set to meet stating at 5:30pm in the Kohl's parking lot on S. Saginaw Street for a peaceful protest. Some residents are questioning if this viewed as a proactive move by Starbucks incase the rally take a turn for the worse. Supporters of the rally were quick to point out that it made no sense to close the day before the event. Still the speculation continued.

I spoke to the  manager of another local Starbucks after my attempts to speak to a representative at corporate had failed.  (I am still waiting on that promised call back). The manager indicated that her store needed to close for 2 days recently for a "deep cleaning". She told me company policy is that even if someone has a fever, and hasn't tested positive for COVID-19, the store is to be closed and heavily cleaned and sanitized. She also indicated she had no idea the Grand Blanc location had shut their doors.

The manager of the other location also told me some stores will close if there is a shortage of team members during this transition period. Another possibility to consider.

So here we are, a closed Starbucks, a few assumptions, and a ton of questions with no answers to give except that you'll have to find your latte' elsewhere for a few days in Grand Blanc.

By the way, the rally planned for Grand Blanc is Friday night starting at 5:30pm. Community is encouraged to join in and meet in the Kohl's parking lot on S. Saginaw Street. The event  is being organized by Grand Blanc High School students.