Stop Panicking, Silver Lake: That Starbucks Drive-Thru Sign Is a Hoax

Loads of Silver Lake residents were distressed this week after seeing a Starbucks sign on the demolished Yolk retail store this week. A message on the vinyl banner reads, “Drive-thru opening soon” right in the center of Silver Lake’s staunchly non-corporate neighborhood. But the joke’s on the ‘hood, as the owner confirmed to Curbed LA that the sign is a hoax.

The sign, hanging on some construction fencing, is certainly a standout on the busy stretch of Silver Lake Boulevard. Residents who spotted it immediately took their frustration to the neighborhood website NextDoor, noting their displeasure not only with a possible Starbucks, but one with a drive-thru at that.

One NextDoor user wrote, “Drive thru Starbucks going in the demolished Yolks building!!! How is this allowed to happen? I am so distraught.”

Curbed LA

Curbed LA spoke with the developer, who confirmed that the future Starbucks is not real.

The development site is also at the center of controversy, as property owner Anup Jogani did not procure the appropriate permits before bulldozing most of the historic Streamline Moderne building in April. This is actually really impressive,” says Jogani. “They printed out a whole sign. Usually, someone just spray paints ‘Starbucks coming soon’ and my name and my office number.”

This isn’t the first Starbucks prank in the Northeast neighborhood. Back in 2014, comedian Nathan Fielder’s parody coffee shop/art project Dumb Starbucks opened on in a Los Feliz strip mall before the LA County Department of Health Services forced its closure for operating without a valid public health permit.

• No, former Silver Lake Yolk store will not become a drive-through Starbucks [ELA]
• Dumb Starbucks Parody Coffee Shop Amuses Los Feliz [ELA]