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The latest on all the drama at StarbucksThe latest on all the drama at Starbucks

Starbucks has lost a battle with union leaders, eliminates its COO position

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

August 22, 2022

 

Welcome to First Bite, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, your daily source of news from NRN hosted by Holly Petre.

Today, we’re talking about what’s happening with Starbucks.

Starbucks is seemingly always in the news. It appears we can’t go a week without covering them twice. First, there was the accusation of election rigging by Starbucks against the National Labor Relations Board.

Then, on Thursday, two pieces of news broke. Starbucks lost a court case against what has been called the “Memphis 7,” seven former Memphis union leaders who were fired several months ago. The chain must reinstate them by Monday according to the ruling.

Later Thursday, it was announced that Starbucks’ chief operating officer would be leaving and the company would be eliminating the role entirely after the exec left the role. It’s an odd move for such a large chain, especially one currently on the hunt for a new CEO.

Senior editor Joanna Fantozzi breaks it all down here, starting with the union battle and the “Memphis 7.”

Plus, catch up on all the top news of the day with our daily news recap at the beginning of each episode.

Be sure to subscribe to First Bite wherever you get your podcasts or on CastosSpotify, or Apple Podcasts.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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