Starbucks is no longer allowing non-paying customers to use its washroom or patio facilities, but some staff say they’re worried about turning people away.
The global coffee chain announced on Tuesday that moving forward, its services will be reserved for paying customers only.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed the policy shift to Now Toronto on Tuesday, stating that it is “setting clear expectations for behaviour and use of [its] spaces.”
“Implementing a Coffeehouse Code of Conduct is something most retailers already have and is a practical step that helps us prioritize our paying customers who want to sit and enjoy our cafes or need to use the restroom during their visit,” the statement continued.
Meanwhile in a Starbucks staff Reddit thread, one company employee who works at a location right off a major highway in the U.S. said they were concerned about turning away travelers who come in to use the toilet.
“I’m worried about the people who want to use the bathroom, we are right on the freeway, so we get a TON of people who just come in and use the bathroom and leave,” they wrote.
“I feel like they’re going to have to install locks where you have to enter a code,” one person responded.
“It makes sense for a lot of stores in cities but my suburban Starbucks? customers are gonna flip out and I’m the one who’s gonna get yelled at,” someone else wrote.
The move from the global coffee chain marks a reversal of the company’s open door policy that was implemented in 2018 after two Black men were arrested at a Philadelphia location while waiting for a friend.
One of the men requested to use the bathroom but was denied. A member of staff then called police, escalating the situation which sparked outrage across the U.S.
Shortly after, Starbucks announced that anyone who entered its premises would be considered a customer.
According to Starbucks the update comes as part of a broader set of changes outlined in its Coffeehouse Code of Conduct intended to enhance customer experience after the company reported revenue losses and a fall in sales in 2024.
Global Starbucks sales fell seven per cent last year, with North American sales dropping six per cent year-over-year in Q4.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, who took over from Laxman Narasimhan in September, said in a press release last fall that the company needs a change in strategy and to bring a more welcoming coffeehouse energy back to its locations.
