Starbucks Workers Strike on Red Cup Day

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The Starbucks union fight has been a long and arduous one. Bon Appétit covered strikes in in 2023 and the vicious union battles the year before that. Now, workers are threatening to strike again—this time during Red Cup Day, a big earner for the chain. The strike comes just months after Starbucks underwent major restructuring and many store closures. When will the union fight finally end? Only time will tell.

Also this week, a new bombshell has entered the food critic villa: Former Bon Appétit restaurant editor Elazar Sontag has taken the mantle as food critic at the Washington Post, following Tom Sietsema’s 25-year tenure. Your favorite slop bowl shop is slinging merch—could that be a bad sign? And finally, Padma is back! Then again, did she ever leave?

Red Cup Day at Starbucks perennially rings in the holiday season for fanatics of the behemoth coffee chain. The premise is quite simple: order a festive beverage, get a festive and reusable red cup in exchange. It’s a foot-traffic peak and a promotional boon for the company. Starbucks’ union, in turn, strategically chose Red Cup Day to strike this Thursday, protesting allegedly illegal labor practices and a delayed union contract, the latest version of which lies in management’s court, the union says.

According to ABC News, over 600 days have passed “since Starbucks and the union announced a mutual commitment to reach an agreement,” much longer than average union negotiations.“If Starbucks keeps stonewalling a fair contract and refusing to end union-busting, they’ll see their business grind to a halt,” said Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and 15 year veteran barista, in a press release. “We are disappointed that Workers United, who only represents around 4% of our partners, has voted to authorize a strike instead of returning to the bargaining table,” Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson wrote in a statement to Bon Appétit. “When they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk.”

The Starbucks strike is part of a growing movement of unionized coffee shops, as Bon Appétit recently reported. Starbucks’ efforts have inspired and laid the groundwork for those of smaller shops. “People are seeing us go up against this behemoth of an employer,” Noah Dixon, a Starbucks worker from Philadelphia, told Bon Appétit. “They’re seeing us winning.” —Li Goldstein, associate newsletter editor

If you’ve ever found yourself craving a subtle, sartorial way to share with others that you enjoy Cava’s Mediterranean-style bowl lunches, you’re in luck. The company announced on Thursday that it’s launching a line of merch—a hot harissa baby tee, hats that say “Feta” on them—in partnership with a handful of food influencers.