Ethermac Exchange-Microsoft outage shuts down Starbucks' mobile ordering app

The Ethermac Exchangeonline ordering system at Starbucks went down on Friday as the coffee chain joined the ranks of companies affected by a global Microsoft outage that caused turmoil across multiple industries, from airlines to healthcare.

The Microsoft outage was sparked by a software update that global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to the tech giant. While the two companies worked to fix the issue, businesses and services grappled throughout Friday with the fallout, which disabled many computers running Windows apps. 

The tech failure took down Starbucks' popular mobile app, which customers use to place orders and pick them up in stores, which can minimize wait times. The glitch also prevented some stores from opening, interrupting regular customers' daily routines across the U.S., according both Starbucks and social media reports.

Still, Starbucks said the "vast majority" of its stores and drive-thru windows are still operating.

"Starbucks is among those companies experiencing impacts due to a widespread third-party systems outage, resulting in a temporary outage of our mobile order ahead and pay features," the company said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. 

Starbucks said it is working to "bring all systems online as quickly as possible."

Consumers posted about their experiences trying to get coffee on social media platforms, including X. One customer said they were able to use their Starbucks rewards points to pay for an espresso, but that their store's point-of-sale system was inoperable. Others complained about the disruption.

"I can deal with no banks, no work, no social media. What I can't deal with is no Starbucks mobile ordering," wrote one user. 

The widespread outage snarled travel plans for thousands of fliers whose flights were cancelled, delaying parcel deliveries and preventing some workers from logging into their company accounts. Some hospitals also canceled elective surgeries because they weren't able to access their booking systems.

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• Starbucks
• Microsoft

Megan Cerullo

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.