People must now purchase something from Starbucks to utilize their café or restrooms, according to a stunning policy reversal from the corporate coffee giant.
Starbucks announced in a new code of conduct, which will reportedly be posted in all North American stores, that the company would no longer tolerate the consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use, and panhandling in stores.
The memo warns that violators of the policies will be asked to leave and store employees are allowed to call on law enforcement, if necessary. Starbucks said employees will be trained on enforcing the new policy, according to a report from the Associated Press.
A similar code of conduct was enforced across the coffee chains prior to 2018. Following an incident in a Philadelphia Starbucks, the company instituted an open-door policy.
Two black men were arrested at the Philadelphia Starbucks location where they planned to meet for a business meeting. The individual store had a policy of asking non-paying customers to leave. The two men had not bought anything and were subsequently arrested for refusing to leave. The debacle was caught on camera and considered an embarrassment for the company at the time.
Starbucks Chairman Howard Shultz said he doesn’t want people to feel “less than” if they are refused access to public restrooms at Starbucks chains.
“We don’t want to become a public bathroom, but we’re going to make the right decision a hundred percent of the time and give people the key,” Schultz said.
The policy reversal comes after employees and customers have been forced to deal with dangerous behavior in stores, with many incidents at the hands of homeless men. In 2022, Starbucks closed 16 stores, including six in Los Angeles and six in Seattle, reporting safety issues. Namely, drug use, disruptive behavior, and threats to staff members.
Starbucks did not explicitly cite the rise in crime as a reason for its policy reversal.
