How chains — especially coffee shops — can balance their roles as gathering places with being a private business
When Starbucks relaunched its third-place initiative in May 2018, officially opening up their cafes to the public, the company shared a vision of a community center where anyone and everyone could gather in a “warm and welcoming environment” regardless of if they paid for a Frappuccino or not.
Almost a year and a half since it was announced, the policy has been met with detractors and challenges. It’s not uncommon now to encounter long lines for the bathroom at Starbucks cafes in well-trafficked communities, or to see homeless people using the cafe as a means to shelter from the elements.
A group of Seattle baristas made headlines in January when they created a petition that asked Starbucks to add safety needle disposal boxes in high-ri...
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.jpg?width=100&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale "Picture of Joanna Fantozzi")
.jpg?width=400&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale "Joanna Fantozzi")
