Starbucks reverses open door policy with UK impact unclear | Money News

Starbucks has reversed its North American policy allowing people to sit in stores and use the loo without buying anything.

Patrons in the US and Canada now must buy something or leave.

Starbucks did not respond to questions about the impact the policy change could have on its UK shops.

Sky News asked if there was a code of conduct in UK branches, if people were required to make a purchase, and if there were plans to revise the code if one existed.

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The Seattle-headquartered coffee giant published a new coffeehouse code of conduct for its North American business to “ensure our spaces are prioritised for use by our customers”.

Anyone not adhering to the rules will be asked to leave and could have the police called on them.

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Among the prohibited behaviours is “misuse or disruption of our spaces”. Also included in the list of banned behaviours is vaping or smoking, discrimination or harassment, begging, and drinking “outside alcohol”.

“By setting clear expectations for behaviour and use of our spaces, we can create a better environment for everyone,” a Starbucks spokesperson said.

A departure from an open-door outlook

It’s a departure from previous guidelines created in 2018 after two black men were arrested in a Starbucks they went to for a business meeting. The Philadelphia coffee shop they attended had a policy of asking non-paying customers to leave and called the police on the pair. The incident was captured on camera and embarrassed the business.

In response, a regional change was designed to make an open-door policy.

Starbucks’ then-chairman Howard Schultz said: “We don’t want to become a public bathroom, but we’re going to make the right decision a hundred per cent of the time and give people the key.”

The reversal comes as Starbucks struggles with slowed sales amid pro-Palestine boycotts.

Over the summer it suddenly replaced its chief executive after the company suffered a bigger-than-expected drop in sales.

New CEO Brian Niccol was offered the use of a corporate jet for his 1,000-mile commute from his home in Newport Beach, California, to Seattle, Washington.