Starbucks Reaches out to Veteran Communities with 12 Military Family Stores

When Starbucks launched its groundbreaking commitment to support veterans and military spouses in November 2013, the company also announced that it would give special designation to stores that serve military communities.

Starbucks unveiled the first two Starbucks Military Community Stores at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington and Joint Base San Antonio in Texas, with a portion of each purchase benefiting non-profit veterans programs. In making the announcement, Starbucks expressed its intention to open a total of three additional Military Community Stores by 2018.

Tim Bomke, Starbucks manager for military and veterans affairs and a U.S. Army veteran, was part of the team that traveled around the country to scout future store locations. They soon realized there were many more communities that could benefit than they had imagined with the original Military Community Store model.

“All Starbucks stores should reflect the communities they serve,” Bomke said. “When we traveled to military communities across the country, we heard from our partners and customers that we want more of these places where we can connect in a more personal way.”

Based on what they heard from military communities, Starbucks designed a new Military Family Store program. The company plans to open 12 of these Military Family Stores near military bases in fiscal 2015.

Each store will help catalyze Starbucks veteran hiring efforts and connect to its community through relationships with the local military base and with veterans service organizations. They will also honor Starbucks partners and customers with design components, such as special murals. Stores will also offer merchandise that reflect the company’s appreciation for military service.

"At Starbucks, we honor the service and sacrifice of military families,” said John Kelly, Starbucks senior vice president, Global Responsibility and Public Policy. “Starbucks Military Family Stores will support our mission of hiring and honoring veterans and military spouses and strengthening the customer experience in military communities.”

About Starbucks Commitment to Veterans and their Families

Starbucks is committed to strengthening its support of military communities by recognizing military veterans and their families with a goal of hiring 10,000 veterans and active duty military spouses by 2018. Since announcing its commitment a year ago, Starbucks has hired almost about 2,000 veterans, matching the transferable skill sets of veterans and military spouses with the specific talent needed across the Starbucks enterprise.