Starbucks Internet No Longer Free, Not Even At Oceanside Locations

OCEANSIDE, CA — An old code of conduct is returning to Starbucks: If you want to hang out at one of the company's stores for internet use, to meet up, or make a restroom pitstop, you must buy something.

Starbucks announced on Monday it was reversing a policy that invited everyone into its stores. A new "Coffeehouse Code of Conduct" being posted in all company-owned North American stores states that Starbucks spaces are for use by customers and the company's partners.   

The updated code of conduct also bans discrimination or harassment, consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use and panhandling.

"We want to ensure our spaces are prioritized for use by our customers. Our Coffeehouse Code of Conduct is something most retailers have and is designed to provide clarity that our spaces — including our cafes, patios and restrooms — are for use by customers and partners.

"The code of conduct is displayed in our stores to remind customers of the role they play in creating a community coffeehouse that is inviting and welcoming," the code reads.

The new policy reverses a 2018 Starbucks announcement that allowed anyone to sit in its cafes or use its restrooms, even if they didn't buy anything.

At the time, Starbucks told employees to consider anyone who walked into its stores a customer, "regardless of whether they make a purchase."

"We are committed to creating a culture of warmth and belonging where everyone is welcome," Starbucks said in a statement at the time.

That 2018 open-door policy came five weeks after two Black men who hadn’t bought anything were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks. The two men were awaiting a third person for a meeting. One of them was denied use of a restroom because he hadn’t bought anything. A worker called police, and the men were taken into custody. The Associated Press reported the men spent hours in jail before they were released.