Starbucks has officially changed its bathroom policy. After the arrest of two black men at a store in Philadelphia, executive chairman Howard Schultz has decided to open the bathroom doors to everyone, whether they’re paying customers or not.
“We don’t want to become a public bathroom, but we’re going to make the right decision 100% of the time and give people the key, because we don’t want anyone at Starbucks to feel as if we are not giving access to you to the bathroom,” he said, according to USA Today. “We want you to be more than.”
The arrest last month sparked a national uproar and many people accused the company of racial bias. The two men were told they couldn’t use the bathroom because they didn’t buy anything, so they decided to just sit in the coffee shop to wait for their friend. In response, the store manager asked them to leave and called the police.
“The company, the management and me personally — not the store manager — are culpable and responsible. And we’re the ones to blame,” Schultz said. “We were absolutely wrong in every way. The policy and the decision she made, but it’s the company that’s responsible.”
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