CHICAGO — Two Chicago Caribou Coffee shops will serve their last cup of java Sunday, and the chain's remaining 14 locations will transition to Peet's Coffee & Tea within the next 12 to 18 months.
The locations that are set to close Sunday are in Lincoln Park, 2453 N. Clark St., and inside the Ogilvie Transportation Center on the Near West Side, 500 W. Madison St., according to a Caribou customer service representative.
The unexpected closings are part of a restructuring plan that will close 80 underperforming stores nationally and revamp another 88, according to a Crain's report.
There are two Starbucks within a two-block radius of the Lincoln Park Caribou that is slated to close Sunday as well as Lincoln Perk, an independent coffee shop just a block north on Clark.
For some residents who frequent the Lincoln Park location, the announcement caught them off guard Monday.
"This is usually my spot," said 26-year-old Ray Yapp, who said he does work in the coffee shop once or twice a week.
Yapp said he prefers the Caribou over nearby Starbucks because the Internet is faster in Caribou and it is often less crowded.
For Yapp, the move will be down the block to Starbucks.
For Wrigleyville resident Brian Gavronski, Caribou isn't his go-to for coffee, but he said it provides an option for Starbucks haters.
"It's just another place to get coffee," he said.
Workers in the shop declined to comment Monday afternoon, but frequent customers said signs indicating the closing on the door were just put up Monday.
