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Will Starbucks union wins start a trend around the country?Will Starbucks union wins start a trend around the country?

With 54 Starbucks cafes now in the process of filing for or voting on unionization, the rest of the restaurant industry could follow suit

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

February 4, 2022

Since SBWorkers United — the union group representing Starbucks baristas — celebrated two unions in Buffalo, N.Y. becoming the first-ever unionized Starbucks cafes in the country, many more Starbucks cafes have followed suit in filing with the National Labor Relations Board. In total, 54 Starbucks stores, particularly on the West Coast and in the Midwest, will be voting to unionize.

This represents a monumental domino effect for the Seattle-based coffee giant’s workers, which has been met with requests to delay or change the parameters of certain union elections, and other actions that have been criticized as union-busting.

But how will this chain reaction affect the restaurant industry, which has less union representation than almost any other industry? According to experts, it could cause other coffee chains or even employees within other segments of the industry to think, “if Starbucks could do it, then we can too.” But unionization could have ramifications for the historically transient restaurant industry, especially as automation becomes the norm.

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About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine.

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events.

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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