Customers will no longer be able to visit a Starbucks for the bathroom or the Internet without buying something.
But those who do buy something can stay as long as they want. And anybody—not just Starbucks Rewards members—will be able to get free refills on coffee drinks starting Jan. 27.
The Seattle-based chain, eager to change the environment inside its coffee shops, released a new code of conduct Monday making it clear that the chain’s amenities are for paying customers only. The code will be displayed in every store.
“This is a common practice, and makes clear that our spaces, including our cafes, patios and restrooms, are for use by paying customers and our partners,” Sara Trilling, EVP and president of North America, said in a letter to the system on Tuesday.
Starbucks Rewards members have long been able to get free refills on hot or cold beverages if they want to stay at its restaurants. But the program that rolls out later this month will be extended to all customers.
The code of conduct is new and effectively ends an open-door policy that enabled anybody to come in and use the restroom or hang out inside its restaurants. The company implemented that open-door policy in 2018, following the arrest of two Black men at a Philadelphia location who hadn’t bought anything.
“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 company said in a statement. “By setting clear expectations for behavior and use of our spaces, we can create a better environment for everyone.”
The company under CEO Brian Niccol has made it a priority to return the chain to its roots as a traditional coffee shop where customers spend time hanging out with friends, meeting with business associates or getting some work done.
Much of the focus publicly has been on the conflict between that goal and the company’s rapidly growing mobile order business, where customers waiting for such orders can clog lobbies.
But Starbucks wants to make its cafes more inviting, believing that it could make its shops better places to visit even when customers are just picking up a takeout order. The company plans to add more comfortable seating and let customers add cream to their own coffee again.
Opening free refills to any customer, and not just members of its loyalty program, could also make shops friendlier to the more occasional customers who abandoned the chain last year, leading to sales struggles for the chain.
The code of conduct is certainly not limited to loitering. It forbids customers from misusing cafes, discrimination or harassment, abusive language, outside alcohol consumption, smoking, vaping and pandhandling.
The policy also lets people know that they could be asked to leave if they violate the code and that workers may contact law enforcement.
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