Anchorhead Coffee is set to take over the Concourse A space when its lease expires Dec. 31, Port spokesperson Kassie McKnight-Xi said. The Starbucks in Concourse C will be replaced by The Flora Bakehouse. The Port has not announced closure dates for either shop.

A state layoff notice received Friday says workers at the Concourse A store could be laid off from Dec. 31, 2026, through Jan. 13, 2027. The number is unclear: an HMS Host operations director’s letter cited 13 employee separations, while an attached list and the state’s count indicated about 135. HMS Host and the state Employment Security Department had not clarified the discrepancy.

The Concourse C location does not yet have a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, filing, so the number of potentially affected workers there is also unknown. Positions named in the Concourse A filing include baristas, utility workers, general managers and shift managers.

The two shops are operated by HMS Host, an airport food-service company, rather than directly by Starbucks. Other concessionaires won the spaces in a competitive bidding process. The Port announced 17 new dining and retail locations last month, and McKnight-Xi said bidding when airport leases end is a routine process.

Starbucks said it was disappointed the Concourse A contract was not renewed, adding that it will continue serving customers at its other airport locations and hopes to expand its presence at Sea-Tac. Once both shops close, two Starbucks locations will remain at the airport.

The affected workers are represented by Unite Here Local 8. The union urged the Port to ensure the incoming operators rehire current employees and maintain the quality-job standards workers had secured at HMS Host. Secretary-Treasurer Stefan Moritz said the union would support members in keeping their positions and the same workplace standards.