GRAB AND GO

Starbucks Bans Customers From Sitting in Shops as Some Stores Close Entirely

At all outlets in the United States and Canada, customers will no longer be allowed to use café or patio seating.

Starbucks has announced extraordinary measures in its efforts to help halt the coronavirus outbreak. The Seattle Times reports that customers will no longer be able to sit-in at any of the company’s 10,000 North American stores, and some will shut their doors entirely. At all stores in the United States and Canada, customers will no longer be allowed to use café or patio seating. However, they can still get Starbucks products to-go and will still have access to mobile ordering, drive-thru, and delivery. There isn’t a public list of the stores that are going to shut down, but they are reported to be restricted to high-risk areas such as Seattle and New York as well as stores in “high social-gathering” areas such as malls and universities. Staff at closed stores will be moved to other locations or possibly given catastrophe pay. “Starting today, we will move to a ‘to go’ model across the U.S. and Canada for at least two weeks to help prevent prolonged social gathering in our cafés,” said Executive Vice President Rossann Williams.