Starbucks announced plans this week to open a new corporate operations office in Davidson County later this year and is reportedly offering dozens of its Seattle-based employees an opportunity to relocate to Tennessee as part of its expansion to the state.
The Davidson County office will support the company’s continued coffeehouse expansion and growing customer demand across the southeastern U.S., according to a release by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).
Let’s give a warm Tennessee welcome to @Starbucks!
The global coffee company is expanding its North American footprint with plans to open a new corporate office in Davidson County later this year. The investment reflects the company’s continued coffeehouse growth and increasing…
— TNECD (@TNECD) March 3, 2026
Mike Grams, COO of Starbucks, said the region’s workforce and location made Nashville a natural choice.
“Looking ahead, Starbucks has great ambitions to grow even further across North America. With these growth plans, we see Nashville, Tennessee, as an ideal location to open an office and establish a more strategic presence in the Southeast region of the U.S.,” Grams said. “The city offers a deep, talented and growing workforce, making it a desirable location for us.”
The move is being welcomed by Tennessee leaders as another example of major employers choosing states with lower taxes and a pro-growth economic climate.
“Companies across the nation recognize that Tennessee’s strong values and fiscally-conservative approach are good for business, and we are proud to welcome another Fortune 500 company like Starbucks to our state,” Governor Bill Lee said in a statement.
“As Starbucks continues to shape their brand and expand their operations, we’re grateful they have chosen to build a future in the Volunteer State and will create quality jobs for Tennesseans,” the governor added.
At the same time, the move has drawn renewed attention to the political climate in Starbucks’ hometown of Seattle, where the city’s self-described democratic socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, has openly encouraged residents to boycott one of the city’s most recognizable companies.
“[I am] proud to say loud and clear, I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either,” Wilson said in November alongside striking Starbucks employees.
While it is unclear whether the mayor’s comments directly influenced Starbucks’ expansion to Tennessee, some have argued they reflect a broader political climate in which major employers increasingly feel unwelcome in Seattle.
Jon Scholes, president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, said the city has struggled to grow jobs recently while nearby regions continue to expand.
“We’re in a super competitive marketplace when it comes to locating and growing jobs in Seattle…We haven’t added jobs in the last year. In fact, we’ve lost jobs,” Scholes told MyNorthwest News, pointing to rising business and employer taxes.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
