Pumpkin spice latte at 2 a.m.? Philly Gopuff employees now make and deliver Starbucks drinks

A Starbucks pumpkin spice latte at 2 a.m.? It’s now possible to get one outside of the company’s operating hours through Gopuff, the Philly-founded on-demand delivery app.

Customers in Old City, Northern Liberties, Fairmount, University City, and most Center City neighborhoods can order Starbucks drinks to be delivered at all hours of the day, beginning Wednesday.

“Gopuff customers love coffee,” said Amelia Riba, vice president of fresh and prepared meals at Gopuff. “As we continue to innovate and enhance the customer experience, we look forward to preparing and delivering customized Starbucks food and drink items – all day, every day.”

Starbucks ready-to-drink items are already popular among buyers, according to a press release from the company.

To provide Starbucks products 24/7, about three dozen employees of the delivery app have been trained to prepare the orders themselves at two of the company’s micro-fulfillment centers in the city.

Many Starbucks drinks and food will be available for Gopuff delivery. Nitro cold brew, hot tea, hot espresso shots, and frozen refreshers do not travel well, and will not be available through Gopuff.

Drinks are customizable in the app. And seasonal offerings are available, including the popular pumpkin spice latte.

The initiative comes as several Starbucks locations in Philadelphia unionized in the past year and are working toward their first contract. Philly-area Starbucks are among hundred of the company’s locations nationwide fighting for a fair contract.

The Starbucks partnership comes as Gopuff has been expanding its delivery business, carving out space as a food operator in addition to the delivery business. In 2021, the company launchd the Gopuff Kitchen, an “all-electric mobile kitchen stationed within or adjacent” to a Gopuff fulfillment center, making pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and more.

In 2021, Gopuff also partnered with TRUFF, a luxury condiment company, to offer freshly made pizzas. And last year, Gopuff launched a pilot program in Tallahassee with BurgerFi, a hamburger chain, via a food truck stationed near one of Gopuff’s fulfillment centers. After a successful trial, Gopuff announced it would incorporate the food preparation into its own operations, having Gopuff employees prepare the food in dozens of cities.

Gopuff has grown from its origin as a startup founded by two Drexel University students to operating in cities across the U.S. and internationally. Last year, the company celebrated its 10 millionth delivery in Philadelphia.

Gopuff saw an increase in sales in 2020 and 2021 as COVID restrictions kept people home. But in 2022, amid fears of “economic turndown,” the company said it would shut or consolidate 76 distribution centers across the country. It also told employees it would reduce the workforce by 10%, after hundreds of corporate employees had already been laid off earlier in the year.