A global IT glitch affecting Microsoft’s cloud services on Friday also disabled Starbucks’ mobile app ordering system, causing widespread disruption for baristas and other employees. The issue led to temporary closures of some Starbucks locations and prompted frantic online pleas for assistance.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity provider, issued a software update in the morning to address the problem, but technical difficulties persisted throughout the afternoon, impacting businesses like Starbucks. A spokesperson for Starbucks acknowledged the situation, stating, “Starbucks is among those companies affected by a widespread third-party systems outage, resulting in a temporary disruption of our mobile order ahead and pay features.”
Early on Friday, Starbucks began notifying app users of the outage and responding to social media inquiries. Some stores were unable to process any transactions and had to close temporarily. Customers who had placed mobile orders found themselves unable to pick them up, exacerbating the chaos.
Since its introduction in 2015, Starbucks’ mobile ordering system has grown immensely popular, enabling customers to place orders in advance at participating locations, including mobile-only storefronts in some places like airports. However, Friday’s outage severely disrupted these operations, with Reddit posts from both customers and employees detailing the stress and challenges faced in managing the influx of orders and customer expectations.
In response, some stores resorted to manual ticketing and handwritten signs to manage customer flow. Despite the disruptions, some customers opted to wait in line instead of using the mobile app, while others reported shorter lines at various Manhattan locations visited by NBC News on Friday afternoon.
Overall, the outage highlighted the reliance of modern businesses on interconnected IT systems and underscored the challenges posed when such systems fail unexpectedly.
