Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app. Or follow Greater Moriches on Instagram.
Years in the brewing, Starbucks has at last opened in Shirley.
The drive-thru coffee shop is now up and humming at Floyd Harbor Plaza, marking the end of a long, stop-and-go journey that stretched from the planning stages in 2023 through construction delays and altered timelines.
Located along Montauk Highway, the new Starbucks opened over the weekend, bringing a full café interior together with the shop’s drive-thru lane. The shop features Starbucks’ familiar warm wood tones, modern lighting and lounge-style seating.
The project was first announced in January 2023, when Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico revealed plans for a Starbucks in the shopping center. In May 2024, Brookhaven’s town board unanimously approved construction of the 1,830-square-foot shop, which includes just under 20 interior seats and seating for eight outside the shop.
But the path to opening wasn’t without its bumps. Construction fencing disappeared late last fall, causing concern among residents, though Panico explained the temporary fence was removed for the winter due to snow concerns and re-erected when weather improved.
First in Shirley
This marks the first Starbucks in the Shirley area; the closest existing location is six miles away inside the Stop & Shop on Patchogue Yaphank Road in Medford. The new Shirley Starbucks shares Floyd Harbor Center with an Aldi supermarket, Applebee’s and Northwell Health’s Peconic Bay Medical Group offices.
“The introduction of Starbucks in Shirley is about more than coffee; it is about a community on the rise,” Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico told Greater Long Island. “While everyone has their favorite coffee brand, it is indisputable that Starbucks does considerable research before entering a community, and this should be positive news to those who reside in the tri-hamlet community, even if they should never make a single purchase.”
Starbucks expansion
The Shirley opening comes as Starbucks continues expanding across Long Island, with recent openings in Patchogue and Westhampton Beach.
Top photos: taken by Nicholas Esposito
