Even with a series of closures announced in 2025, Starbucks remains the largest coffee shop chain in the country without any competitors coming close (yes, not even Dunkin’ despite the fact it offers better deals on specialty drinks than Starbucks). Though with over 15,000 stores in the United States alone, you’d think Starbucks would be well down the franchise route by now, with small business owners everywhere taking advantage of its popularity. The reality, however, is that Starbucks does not do franchising, with one exception: Magic Johnson. Yes, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Aside from his storied pro-basketball career spanning the late 1970s through the 1990s, Earvin “Magic” Johnson has built a reputation for entrepreneurship, and, at one point, that included a savvy investment into a series of Starbucks stores. But while many label Johnson as Starbucks’ first and only franchisee, Starbucks has stated this was a partnership resulting in a new lineup of stores and makes no mention of it being a traditional franchise setup.
Here’s how it happened. As per speeches made over the years by Johnson, he was with the Lakers in Seattle playing a game against the Supersonics when he found out then-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was in attendance. Johnson then introduced himself. After meeting with Schultz multiple times and introducing him to inner-city communities, Johnson convinced him that coffee shops in these areas would thrive. The stores wound up being a 50/50 partner split between Johnson and Starbucks, effectively making him the only person in the coffee shop’s 54-year history with a Starbucks franchise.
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What happened to Magic Johnson’s Starbucks stores?
Magic Johnson in a suit smiling – lev radin/Shutterstock
Sadly, you won’t be walking into a Magic Johnson-owned Starbucks anywhere for your next latte — the former NBA point guard sold his half of Urban Coffee Opportunities (the company set up for his special Starbucks venture) back to Starbucks in 2010 after 12 years of operation. Still, the legacy is worth noting for the numerous jobs it created in historically underserved communities. It also helped support the Starbucks Foundation, which invests in socioeconomic programs worldwide.
Besides, there’s a chance you did get to try out your favorite Starbucks ordering hacks at a Johnson store and didn’t even know it. Since its launch in 1998, Urban Coffee Opportunities ran over 100 Starbucks locations in urban communities coast to coast, ranging from Los Angeles to New York. These locations had the same general menu items as other Starbucks spots, although Johnson himself has stated that certain things like scones were swapped out for slices of pound cake and sweet potato pie. You may also have visited any one of the restaurants that Johnson’s investment business, Magic Johnson Enterprises, has either invested in or franchised over the years. From Burger King to TGI Friday’s, Starbucks was just one of many of the retired athlete’s ventures designed to bring national chains to places where they can have a positive impact.
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Read the original article on Chowhound.