Starbucks revises policy after backlash on arrests
Following a public backlash over the arrest of two African-American men in one of its Philadelphia stores, Starbucks issued a policy change on Saturday that allows anyone to use the bathroom or sit in one of its stores even if they don’t buy anything.
Starbucks issued a policy change Saturday, following a public backlash over the arrest of two African-American men in one of its Philadelphia stores, that allows anyone to use the bathroom in the cafes even if they don’t purchase anything.
The April 12 arrests sparked a firestorm over racial profiling.
The Seattle-based chain is now allowing any person to use the bathroom or sit in one of its stores even if they don’t buy anything.
Starbucks told workers to consider anyone who walks into its stores a customer, “regardless of whether they make a purchase,” according to an Associated Press report.
The change comes after nationwide boycotts against the company.
On Saturday, patrons outside the Arizona Center Starbucks near Third and Van Buren streets disagreed over the policy shift.
“Starbucks is a public place — anybody can go in there anytime they want,” said 25-year-old Raymond Castillo. “If unless they’re causing trouble, they can stay in there as many times as they want.”
Travis Gatlin, 45, said it should be necessary for a customer to buy something from a store if he or she wants to enjoy its amenities.
“You shouldn’t just be able to come in there and loiter all day,” Gatlin said. “They’re not here to accommodate people that aren’t buying stuff, you know? They’re in it for the business and to make money.”
Arrest of two black men sparks change
Several Arizona Center Starbucks employees declined to comment about the policy changes, and requested that all questions be directed to their manager, who they said would be available on Monday.
Starbucks officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The chain responded to the outcry in April, announcing that it would close down all of its 8,000-plus companyowned stores in the U.S. along with its corporate offices on May 29 for a day of racial-bias training for staff members.
In an interview with “Good Morning America,” Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, the men arrested at the Philadelphia Starbucks, said they were in the store waiting for a potential business partner and were asked by a barista whether they wanted to order anything.
They declined and shortly thereafter saw police officers entering the store. The officers eventually arrested the men on suspicion of trespassing.
In April, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said the incident was not reflective of the brand’s mission and values.
“I’ll say the circumstances surrounding the incident and the outcome at our store on Thursday were reprehensible,” Johnson said. “They were wrong, and for that, I personally apologize to the gentlemen that visited our store.”
Arizona State University’s Taylor Place Starbucks, along with several other downtown Phoenix Starbucks locations, saw a handful of small protests.
The protesters, chanting “No Black Bucks for Starbucks,” accused the company of being racist and encouraged customers to spend their money elsewhere.
Free ASU tuition and a say on Starbucks equity initiatives
Starbucks announced a settlement in early May with Nelson and Robinson.
The agreement included free tuition for the pair at Arizona State University, a confidential financial settlement and continued discussion of how to prevent “similar occurrences at any Starbucks location.”
Following the agreement, Johnson, the Starbucks CEO, thanked the men.
“I welcome the opportunity to begin a relationship with them to share learnings and experience,” he said in a statement. “And Starbucks will continue to take actions that stem from this incident to repair and reaffirm our values and vision for the kind of company we want to be.”