DeAnn Durbin AP Business Writer
If you want to hang out at Starbucks or go to the bathroom, you have to buy something.
Starbucks announced Monday that it is rescinding its policy of inviting everyone inside its stores. The new code of conduct, which will be posted at all of the company’s stores in North America, also prohibits discrimination and harassment, outdoor consumption of alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use and begging.
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 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.
The new rules reverse an open-door policy introduced in 2018 after two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia while attending a business meeting. The private store had a policy of asking customers who did not pay to leave the store, so the men did not buy anything. However, the arrest was captured on video and was a major embarrassment for the company.
At the time, 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 100 percent of the time we’re 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. In 2022, Starbucks closed 16 stores across the U.S., including six in Los Angeles and six locally in Seattle, due to repeated safety issues, including drug use and other disruptive behavior that threatened staff.
The new rules were introduced as part of an effort by new Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Nicol to reinvigorate the chain’s flagging sales. Nicol said he wants Starbucks to return to the community coffeehouse feel it once had, where drive-thru lines, mobile ordering backups and other issues made visiting the store more of a hassle. are.
