Starbucks reverses open-door policy, restricts restroom use to paying customers

Starbucks has announced a new policy that requires customers to make a purchase in order to remain in its stores or use its restrooms, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The move, announced on Monday, effectively reverses the company's 2018 open-door policy, which allowed anyone to spend time in Starbucks locations regardless of whether they had bought anything.

Under the updated code of conduct, which will be posted in all company-owned North American stores, Starbucks bans discrimination or harassment, consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use, and panhandling. If customers do not adhere to the policy, they will be asked to leave.

In more serious situations, law enforcement may be contacted. The company says it will provide training to store employee on how best to uphold the new rules, the report added.

The 2018 open-door policy was introduced after a highly publicized incident in Philadelphia, where two Black men were arrested in a Starbucks store for not making a purchase while waiting for a business meeting to begin. Video of their arrest, which quickly went viral, sparked nationwide outrage.

However, Starbucks has since struggled with incidents of disruptive and sometimes unsafe behaviour. In 2022, the company closed 16 stores—six in Los Angeles and six in Seattle among them—for ongoing safety issues that posed threats to staff and customers.

The stricter rules and renewed focus on in-store conduct come under the leadership of Starbucks’ new chairman and CEO, Brian Niccol, who has declared his intention to revitalize the brand’s sales and restore its reputation as a welcoming neighbourhood coffee shop.