Fast-growing coffee chain Starbucks continues to grow throughout the country, now with plans to open a new location in North Austin at 4925 W. North Ave.
The Seattle-based company’s newest location will move into the former home of Pizza Hut and WingStreet, according to city building permits. Starbucks will use the existing space and transform it into the coffee shop everyone knows so well with new drive-thru equipment and additional site improvements. This will become the only Starbucks throughout the neighborhood of Austin, north and south. The next closest is the location on the other side of the train tracks, between North Austin and Hermosa.
The new location comes shortly after Carpentervsville approves plans for a second Starbucks in the area. While the exact opening date of the new site is unknown, the addition comes when multiple Starbucks across Chicagoland are planning to unionize. Last week, members of the Willis Tower Starbucks and Lakeview Starbucks voted to unionize, while a Glenview store announced organizing efforts. The move comes after several bargaining attempts from the company.
“As of [Oct. 28], Starbucks has filed 22 unfair labor practice charges against Workers United and its representatives for failing to bargain in good faith,” the company wrote on its website. “This is a significant increase from five charges filed on Monday, Oct. 24, when Starbucks representatives arrived at bargaining sites only to find that Workers United representatives were inappropriately broadcasting sessions to individuals who were not present and, in at least one meeting, made a video recording of the session that was posted online.”
