It’s because they have no employees. My local Starbucks cut back their hours seriously and another one closed for awhile, and they were honest about it: they simply didn’t have the staff.
Interestingly, I read somewhere that a survey in my area (North Florida) said that the main reason people don’t want to go back to “the job” is that they don’t want to have to wear a mask.
Many of them also don’t want to get vaccinated, and while there’s not a lot of pressure in Florida, as a state, the companies often demand it. Starbucks seems to have been pretty strict on vaxing and masks, and this is the result.
It’s the Covid restrictions that are doing this, not the actual disease itself or even fears of it.
We operate a medically free group of restaurants in Fla. While we do have staff shortages during “cold and flu” season we are currently operating 30% ahead of pre pandemic levels. We have a very strict “covid” policy. “If you’re sick stay home, if not come to work”. Thank God we are in Florida.