Starbucks says you're going to have to buy a drink to sit around at their stores

• Starbucks is reversing its open-door policy, which lets non-paying guests sit around or use its loo.
• This means you'll have to make a purchase — or accompany someone who does — to use Starbucks facilities.
• The chain told BI that the change was made to prioritize paying customers.

You'll have to buy a cuppa to sit around at Starbucks or use its loos.

The coffee chain said on Monday that it would be reversing its open-door policy, which allows non-paying guests to use its restrooms or hang around in its stores. It will now reserve its cafés, patios, and restrooms for its customers and staff.

"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," Starbucks' representative, Jaci Anderson, told BI in an emailed statement.

Anderson said the change will go into effect on January 27 in all its North American stores. She clarified that a customer is anyone making a purchase or accompanying someone making a purchase.

She also shared a company memo, which said that signs with the new code of conduct will be displayed in every store, which "makes clear that our spaces, including our cafes, patios, and restrooms, are for use by paying customers and our partners."

Anderson said its staff will be trained to enforce the code of conduct and ask anyone violating it to leave. She said they may also get support from local law enforcement if the situation calls for it.

The change reverses the company's open-door policy, which it implemented in 2018 after a controversy in one of its stores in Philadelphia.

Two Black men who had been sitting at the store were arrested after one of them asked to use the restroom. He had not purchased a drink and was denied entry by the store staff, who called the police.

The reversal of the open-door policy comes after CEO Brian Niccol in September announced his vision for the chain to become a third space for people to hang out in.

"Our stores will be inviting places to linger, with comfortable seating, thoughtful design, and a clear distinction between 'to-go' and 'for-here' service," he said in an open letter in September.