Starbucks to Implement ‘Buy or Leave’ Policy

The QSR is rolling out a new code of conduct starting January 27.

January 16, 2025

This month, Starbucks will roll out a new code of conduct at its cafes across North America, aiming to improve guests’ and staff’s safety and experience, reported the Wall Street Journal. Included in the shift is a reversal of a nearly seven-year policy of allowing the general public to linger in the store or use the bathroom, regardless of whether they buy anything.

“Starbucks spaces are for use by our partners and customers—this includes our cafes, patios and restrooms,” reads the new code of conduct, which will apply to all company-owned stores in North America and will take effect on January 27, according to the Washington Post.

The code of conduct will be displayed in every store and prohibit behaviors including discrimination, harassment, smoking and panhandling, reported the New York Times.

“The new policy—whose stated goal is to remind customers that they play a role in making Starbucks coffee shops ‘inviting and welcoming’—warns that violators will be asked to leave and that staff ‘may ask for help from law enforcement,’” wrote the Post.

“There is a need to reset expectations for how our spaces should be used, and who uses them,” Starbucks North America President Sara Trilling said in a letter sent to employees.

The NYT said that before implementation of the new policy begins, store managers will be given 40 hours to prepare stores and workers, and there will also be training sessions for staff.

Starbucks said it hopes the new code will provide baristas clearer guidance about who can remain in its stores, and that the updated code will lay out guidelines for law enforcement representatives who respond to disorderly person calls at cafes.