Shop Talk

Starbucks outlines gun policy amid fracas

Last month, we wrote a blog about a controversy over Starbucks decision not to ban guns in its cafes.

The fracas started when groups of pistol-packing, open-carry gun rights activists exercised their rights by visiting Northern California restaurants and cafes. Their actions prompted companies like Peet’s Coffee & Tea and California Pizza Kitchen to prohibit firearms in their outlets. But Starbucks, even when pressed by the influential Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, has declined to follow suit — a position that has been lauded by gun rights supporters and condemned by people who only want to see the police and military packing heat at Starbucks.

The controversy refuses to go away and Starbucks released a new statement on the issue:

“We recognize that there is significant and genuine passion surrounding the issue of open carry weapons laws. Advocacy groups from both sides of this issue have chosen to use Starbucks as a way to draw attention to their positions. While we deeply respect the views of all our customers, Starbucks long-standing approach to this issue remains unchanged.

We comply with local laws and statutes in all the communities we serve. In this case, 43 of the 50 U.S. states have open carry weapon laws. Where these laws don`t exist, we comply with laws that prohibit the open carrying of weapons. The political, policy and legal debates around these issues belong in the legislatures and courts, not in our stores.

At the same time, we have a security protocol for any threatening situation that might occur in our stores. Partners are trained to call law enforcement as situations arise. We will continuously review our procedures to ensure the highest safety guidelines are in place and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement.

We have examined this issue through the lens of partner (employee) and customer safety. Were we to adopt a policy different from local laws allowing open carry, we would be forced to require our partners to ask law abiding customers to leave our stores, putting our partners in an unfair and potentially unsafe position.

On the front lines of the coffee war

By Laura Isensee

On her way to work in downtown Los Angeles, banker Teresa Roman recently picked up a large iced vanilla coffee. Her cup had no green mermaid, the iconic Starbucks symbol. Instead, it displayed McDonald’s famed golden arches.

Roman switched from Starbucks iced coffee to McDonald’s when the fast-food giant started selling lattes, mochas and cappuccinos as part of its McCafe beverage expansion that launched officially earlier this year.

One would think the move from McDonald’s would be disasterious for Starbucks, which already had been slashing costs and closing stores after overbuilding during the real estate boom. But for all the angst over McDonald’s noisy entry into Starbucks territory, it doesn’t seem like Roman’s behavior is the norm.

Information from coffee drinkers, analysts and data suggest that McDonald’s and Starbucks are appealing to very different customers.

As part of our reporting, we talked with caffeine-starved workers in downtown Los Angeles. They said they chose their joe based on a variety of factors ranging from convenience and price to taste. 

“It’s not about saving money. It’s about an alternative taste,” said Stova Wong, who picked up a medium regular coffee – three creams, one sugar – at McDonald’s before heading to work in the IT department at a law firm. He now splits his coffee habit evenly between Starbucks, McDonald’s and mom and pop shops.