Caribou's 6 North Side Cafes Closing, Changing Hands

Caribou Coffee is downsizing; permanently closing a store in Lincoln Park, and transforming all five nearby locations into a California-based coffee and tea company.

Employees at all four nearby Lake View locations confirmed Monday that the stores will all become Peet’s Coffee & Tea about one year from now. The same transition will impact the Bucktown shop at 1611 N. Damen Ave., while the Lincoln Park cafe at 2453 N. Clark St. is shuttering for good this Sunday at noon.

Employees at the Lincoln Park store say they just learned of the April 14 closing on Friday.

"It's all been very sudden," said one barista, who declined to give her name. 

The changes are part of a larger movement for the company—80 of the nation's struggling stores will close along with the Clark Street one and 88 others will be converted to Peet's Coffee & Tea locations, according to company representatives.

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Peet's conversions will take anywhere from a year to 18 months, said a Caribou spokeswoman on Monday. Meanwhile, the stores will remain open as a Caribou, employees said. The four Lake View locations are at: 3025 N. Clark St.; 3240 N. Ashland Ave.; 3300 N. Broadway St.; and 3500 N. Halsted St.

"Going forward, Caribou Coffee will be made up of 468 locations across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Western Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Denver, and ten international markets," Caribou representatives said in a written statement. 

The Minnesota-based chain currently has 18 stores in Chicago, most of which are likely to close permanently under the reorganization, employees said. There are 66 Illinois stores, overall. 

The only Peet’s locations in Illinois are in Chicago at 1000 W. North Ave., and in Evanston.

Representatives thanked dedicated Caribou fans Monday for their support over the years.

"While the decisions we’ve made have been difficult for our team in Minneapolis, as well as our team members across the country and our guests and fans everywhere, we are working to make this transition as seamless as possible for the Caribou community," they said.

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