Top 10 Coffee Shop Chains That Don't Exist Anymore

#10: Ships Coffee Shop

Emmett and Matt Shipman only ran three coffee houses, all around Los Angeles. But their reputation grew exponentially across 40 years. First opening in 1956, Ships Coffee Shop was known for its sleek Modern architecture and for having a full menu. Locals and tourists could hang out for as long as they wanted at any of the three 24-hour locations. By the 1980s, though, they were overwhelmed by the boom of dedicated dining chains that just so happened to serve coffee. Ships ultimately shut down with its original Culver City location in 1996. It nonetheless lives on as a representation of both L.A.’s modern business ideals and the realities of modern competition.

#9: Foxtrot

Mike LaVitola and Taylor Bloom of Chicago went against the grain when they founded Foxtrot in 2015. Where many specialty coffeehouses focused on a casual atmosphere, they targeted convenience-minded consumers as a curated bodega. The key was ensuring that their food and drinks were premium quality. Foxtrot embarked on an ambitious expansion of eclectic aesthetics and services that led to 33 locations by 2023. Unfortunately, the goal was 50. This business model wasn’t sustainable, even after major executive appointments and a merger with Dom’s Kitchen & Market. Thus, the hybrid company Outfox Hospitality abruptly shut down all Foxtrot stores in 2024. As LaVitola retains brand rights for new business ventures, hopefully he’s learned to manage expectations.

#8: Chock full o'Nuts

Don’t worry about not getting any nutty notes from your cup of Chock full o'Nuts. The name actually derives from a chain of nut shops in New York City, whose prospects looked bleak during the Great Depression. William Black thus applied the brand to a modest coffee and sandwich counter that thrived through years of economic turbulence on quality. By 1953, the coffee was being sold in grocery stores and at nearly 30 Chock full o'Nuts shops. But it was the purchase of the iconic yet failing Rheingold Brewery in 1973 that devastated Black’s assets. His coffee chain died with him ten years later. Thankfully, Chock full o'Nuts is itself iconic enough to still be a popular grocery item.

#7: Seattle's Best Coffee

That’s a bold claim in the Coffee Capital of the United States. The Wet Whisker sure tasted bold enough to be called Seattle’s best coffee when it debuted on the Waterfront in 1970. Twenty-one years later, the coffee and ice cream chain’s 11 locations rebranded to reflect their title at a local competition. Seattle’s Best Coffee continued to expand as a corporation throughout the 1990s, but was outpaced by its main rival. Starbucks finally bought the budget-friendly chain in 2003, then massively expanded it until the brand became more lucrative in groceries. Its shops were on their way out by the time it was sold to Nestlé in 2022. Seattle’s Best remains popular in retail, but its brand no longer tastes accurate.

#6: Torrefazione Italia

Stewart Brothers Coffee welcomed friendlier local competition in 1986. An Italian immigrant whose father was a roaster, Umberto Bizzarri founded Torrefazione Italia as an authentic homage to the cafés of his homeland. It wasn’t long before he partnered with Jim Stewart to franchise his premium coffee and pastry shop as a companion to the future Seattle’s Best brand. Torrefazione operated around 20 cafés across the U.S. by the time its parent company was sold to Starbucks in 2003. His prospects limited by non-compete agreements, Bizzarri returned to Italy while his American dream gradually transitioned into a wholesale-only brand. But through his son Emanuele, the family tradition continues to flourish through the internationally popular Caffè Umbria.

#5: Pasqua Coffee Company

The third wave coffee movement’s standards in creativity and comfort were raised further in San Francisco in 1983. Pasqua Coffee Company then steadily grew through the premium quality of both its beverages and its lunch items. By 1997, 56 locations raked in enough capital for a merger with the New York-based Coffee Station that was expected to rival Starbucks. Instead, a devastating collapse in the deal led to Pasqua being bought by Starbucks the following year. Every store was subsequently rebranded under the new parent company’s name. Pasqua’s downfall was so historic that details of its own history have become muddy. What is clear is its impact on making food quality more than just an afterthought in coffee chains.

#4: The Coffee Connection

George Howell’s ascension in the third wave coffee movement began in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1975. The Coffee Connection offered nothing but the best in specialty brews for the busy students of Harvard Square. It most notably developed a blended dairy treat that Howell dubbed the Frappuccino, introduced in 1992. By then, his groundbreaking brand had more than 20 locations around the American Northeast. Unfortunately, the franchise was struggling to keep up with operation costs while a certain West Coast rival was mounting an aggressive expansion. So in 1995, Starbucks bought The Coffee Connection, and became even more iconic for their modified Frappuccino. Howell remains an active coffee titan, but we take his initial vision for granted with no remaining evidence.

#3: Borders Books & Music Cafes

Tom and Louis Borders were always looking to liven up book-shopping after starting their business in 1971. It became a fully casual experience in ‘85, when Borders introduced coffee bars and music at select locations. After a 1992 merger with Kmart and Walden, and a 2004 partnership with the Starbucks subsidiary Seattle’s Best Coffee, most of Borders’ hundreds of locations had cafes. It was coffee that revolutionized corporate bookstores as hangout destinations. And yet, an extensive series of missteps led to Borders declaring bankruptcy in 2011. All of its bookstores in the U.S., along with the coffeehouses therein, subsequently shut down. While the brand still exists in foreign markets, the music has died for the iconic yet overambitious franchise.

#2: Coffee People

Where would the coffee culture of Portland, Oregon be without Jim and Patty Rogers? The couple founded Coffee People in 1983 with an emphasis on personality and premium beverages that appealed to youths. The brand eventually became a leader in the third wave coffee movement as it expanded to around 40 locations and developed the modern drive-thru service. But that humbleness would be the company’s undoing after it went public in 1996. Capital strains forced them to merge with Second Cup two years later, then sell to Diedrich Coffee the following year. Coffee People finally shut down its chain in 2016, but remains in retail. Meanwhile, the Rogerses returned to their roots in 2002 with the mom-and-pop chain Jim & Patty’s.

#1: Diedrich Coffee

You can practically follow the modernization of an American industry through Diedrich Coffee. Martin Diedrich founded their first café in 1983 with a planting and retail tradition going back to South America in the early 20th century. His family ran the specialty coffee chain from its gradual expansion around Orange County, California, to a boom after it went public in ‘96. The acquisition of rivals fueled this shaky expansion, until Martin stepped down in 2004. Diedrich Coffee then sold most of its cafés to Starbucks, before selling its retail assets in 2009. Now the brand is applying over a century of experience to elite roasting equipment. But those who visited Diedrich Coffee shops are still shocked that the buzz couldn't sustain the chain.

Which defunct coffee shops still perk you up with nostalgia? Give your order in the comments below.