For the first time in nearly seven years, Starbucks is reversing its open-door policy, requiring customers to purchase tickets to relax or use the restroom at its coffee shop.
The coffee giant announced Monday that its new code of conduct will be posted at all of its stores in North America and also prohibits discrimination and harassment, outdoor consumption of alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use and begging.
New rules overturn open door policy Introduced in 2018after two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia where they went to a business meeting. The incident at the private store, which had a policy of asking customers who didn’t pay to leave, was captured on video and became a major embarrassment for the company.
The changes also come under new leadership from Brian Nicol, who was hired from Chipotle last year to reinvigorate the struggling coffee chain. Nicole vowed to build a Starbucks store.”Great place to linger” chain as a “community coffee house” nationwide.
Starbucks spokeswoman Jaycee Anderson said the new rules are designed to prioritize paying customers. Anderson said most other retailers already have similar rules in place.
“We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our store,” Anderson said. “By setting clear expectations for behavior and use of space, you can create a better environment for everyone.”
The store may notify the police.
The code of conduct warns that violators will be asked to leave the store, and the store may contact the police if necessary. Starbucks said its employees will receive training to enforce the new policy.
At the time of the 2018 incident, Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz said he didn’t want people to feel “less than” if they were denied access.
“We don’t want to be a public restroom, but we’re 100 percent going to make the right decision and hand people the keys,” Schultz said.
But since then, employees and customers have suffered from unruly and even dangerous behavior inside the stores. Starbucks in 2022 closed Sixteen stores across the country (including six in Los Angeles and six locally in Seattle) have had repeated safety problems, including drug use and other disruptive behavior that threatens staff.
Mental health issues and substance misuse have increased since the pandemic shut down the economy in early 2020. homeless.