Photography by Samantha Stevenson
Starbucks along S. Brentwood Boulevard in Brentwood, Missouri.
If you recently tried ordering a doughnut or panini at a local Starbucks and found the location didn't have it in stock, you're not alone.
At press time, Starbucks locations in areas such as O'Fallon, Missouri; Lake Saint Louis; St. Charles; and St. Louis City were facing stock shortages. On Wednesday, an employee at a South County location said the store is out of paninis, pastries, fresh food, and protein boxes. Drinks are currently not affected, the employee added.
"There was a delay in delivery of certain items in some of our St. Louis–area stores," said Starbucks spokesman Erik Moser, "but we are taking additional measures to adjust orders and stores should be returning to normal availability soon."
Shortages at Starbucks locations in other Midwest cities, such as Chicago and Minneapolis, have been reported as well in recent weeks. Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times reported a shortage of certain items "due to a misallocation of goods that resulted in some stores being overstocked while others were left bare."
Late last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Starbucks' Midwestern supplier, DPI Specialty Foods Inc., was negotiating a proposed labor agreement between it and Teamsters Local 710. The coffee chain, however, says any food shortages are unrelated. "We had a delay in delivery on some things,” Moser noted, “but I do want to clarify it was not related to DPI or to labor unions.”
Moser did not provide a timeline for the items to return to area Starbucks locations.
