Starbucks Reconsiders Bathroom Policy

Public access to Starbucks bathrooms, a point of contention in the past, might be shut off again. CEO Howard Schultz put the issue in a mental health context, saying at a forum Thursday that the number of people allowed in stores who aren't customers might have to be limited, CNN reports. The current open-door policy makes managing the stores difficult, he said. "We have to harden our stores and provide safety for our people," Schultz said in New York. "I don't know if we can keep our bathrooms open."

The bathrooms were opened to all after protests sparked by the arrest of two Black men who were refused a key at a Philadelphia location in 2018. But Schultz said the nation has a mental health crisis that constitutes a growing danger to employees and customers and is now the biggest issue facing the chain, per the Hill. "We have to provide a … safe environment for our people and our customers," he said. It shouldn't be this way, Schultz said. "Starbucks is trying to solve a problem and face a problem that is the government’s responsibility," he said. (More Starbucks stories.)