Starbucks Reverses Its Open Door Policy To Prioritize Paying Customers

Starbucks is hunkering down on loitering. The chain’s “hang out” atmosphere that allowed customers (paying or not) to sit for hours and take advantage of its free wifi will soon come to an end. Starbucks is reversing its open-door policy to prioritize paying customers. Now when you go in you’ll have to pay to stay. 

“We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores,” said Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson. “By setting clear expectations for behavior and use of our spaces, we can create a better environment for everyone.”

The new policy also includes bans on discrimination or harassment, consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use, and panhandling. Employees will be trained on the new policy, which will instruct them on how to deal with people who violate the code. At the very least, anyone who does will be asked to leave; at the maximum, law enforcement will be called. 

The open-door policy was put into place in 2018 following the controversial arrest of two Black men who held a business meeting at a location that enforced its own policy of no loitering without paying. The incident negatively impacted the chain’s image at the time.

“We don’t want to become a public bathroom, but we’re going to make the right decision a hundred percent of the time and give people the key,” was the response from Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz.

Nevertheless, there has since been a slew of loitering incidents, some bordering on dangerous, with some even involve drug use. CEO Brian Niccol says that he wants to recapture the community coffeehouse feel that Starbucks once had and boost declining sales. Time will tell whether the new policy helps restore that feeling.