Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) is the world's largest coffeehouse chain, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The company operates and licenses tens of thousands of stores across the United States and dozens of international markets, offering coffee, tea, and food through company-operated, drive-thru, and licensed store formats. Starbucks is publicly traded and widely held by institutional investors, and carries an investment-grade senior unsecured credit rating. Its corporate-guaranteed leases are among the most creditworthy in the quick-service and coffeehouse net-lease sector. The Hartwell store operates under a corporate lease guaranteed directly by Starbucks Corporation — no franchisee or licensee entity stands between the investor and the parent credit.