During the early 1980s, they sold the company to Howard Schultz who-after a business trip to Milan, Italy-decided to convert the coffee bean store into a coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks. Starbucks was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Seattle's Pike Place Market. Depending on the country, most locations provide free Wi-Fi Internet access. Some offerings are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks serves hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, micro-ground instant coffee, espresso, caffe latte, full and loose-leaf teas, juices, Frappuccino beverages, pastries, and snacks. The rise of the second wave of coffee culture is generally attributed to Starbucks, which introduced a wider variety of coffee experiences. Out of Starbucks' U.S.-based stores, over 8,900 are company-operated, while the remainder are licensed. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.Īs of November 2022, the company had 35,711 stores in 80 countries, 15,873 of which were located in the United States. Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Interior of the Pike Place Market location in 1977 Howard Schultz served as chief executive from 1986 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2017.
