Starbucks reverses open-door policy years after controversy

Starbucks will no longer allow nonpaying customers to stay in its cafes, according to a new policy.

The coffee company once tried to rebrand itself as an open-door cafe that allowed anyone to use its tables as workstations and gathering places, which included public restrooms. This laid-back policy came after two black men weren’t allowed to use the restrooms in a Rittenhouse Square location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the resulting skirmish led to their arrest.