Starbucks Welcomes Nonpaying Guests

A month after two African American men were arrested for trespassing at a Philadelphia Starbucks store, the Seattle-based company has announced its revised stance on guests occupying cafés or using restrooms without making a purchase.

The company’s new policy is one of inclusivity, though it relies heavily on mutual respect from both customers and store associates, according to CNN Money. While it welcomes all guests – making a purchase or not – to enjoy its café areas and uses its restrooms, it has specified that, upon witnessing certain inappropriate behaviors, its employees have permission to intervene, including: smoking, drug or alcohol use, sleeping, inappropriately using the restroom, being unreasonably loud, watching inappropriate content on personal devices or disruptive personal hygiene.

It has also added that its employees must consider whether they’d be disturbed if the witnessed behavior was coming from another customer, implying a conscious move away from implicit racial biases. Employees are to respectfully ask the customer to cease the behavior while another employee watches. Only if the Starbucks employee believes the situation isn’t safe should they call the police.