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Summary: Trouble is brewing at Starbucks, but can the brand save its image?
Less than a week after a Philadelphia Starbucks made headlines for calling the cops on two black men for waiting in their store, another Starbucks was accused of racism by denying a man the restroom code because he had not purchased a drink.
The second occurrence happened in Southern California. A black man entered a Starbucks and asked for the restroom code, but he did not purchase a drink. An employee refused to tell him the code, so he walked to the restroom and encountered a white man exiting. On tape, he asked the white man if he had purchased anything before being given the code, and the white man said no.
The video was posted by civil rights activist Shaun King on Monday, and it is unclear when the video was taken. However, the second video has stoked the flames of accusations against Starbucks that it is racist towards black men.
Days before on April 12, Melissa DePino posted another video that went viral of two black men being arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks. The men had arrived at the store and were waiting for a friend when a Starbucks employee called the police on them.
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In the video, the police are seen escorting the men out just as their friend arrives.
After the first video spurred a public backlash against Starbucks, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson reached out to the men who were arrested and asked to meet. According to CNN, the two men have agreed to a meeting but a time has not been set.
On Monday, Johnson appeared on Good Morning America and said he found the arrests “reprehensible.” His appearance coincided with protests against Starbucks in Philadelphia in support of the two arrested men, who were detained but not charged.
“I’d like to have a dialogue with them so that I can ensure that we have an opportunity to really understand the situation and show some compassion and empathy for the experience they went through,” Johnson said. “Finally as we’re working to solve this, I’d like to invite them to join me in finding a constructive way to solve this issue.”
Starbucks has also revealed that the manager who called the cops is no longer employed by the company. It is unclear if she has been fired or relocated.
On Good Morning America, Johnson said that he planned to train staff about “unconscious bias.”
“I’ve been very focused on understanding what guidelines and what training ever let this happen,” Johnson said. “What happened was wrong, and we will fix it.”
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