Starbucks China Apologizes for Incident Involving Police Officers, Claims Misunderstanding

Last night, a post on social media claimed that police officers on duty at Ciqikou Ancient Town, a tourist spot in Chongqing, were asked to leave while eating outside a Starbucks. According to the online account, the reason was that Starbucks employees worried the officers eating at the entrance would hurt the brand's image, and they filed a complaint against the officers after they left. The story spread quickly, and by today it had become one of the top trending topics on Sina Weibo. On the evening of the 14th, Starbucks China responded to the outcry on Weibo, and its post drew more than 10,000 comments within an hour.

Starbucks said its investigation found the following: at around 5 PM on February 13, four police officers came to the store, and staff arranged for them to dine in the outdoor customer area. Later, because other customers also wanted to sit outdoors, a misunderstanding arose when store partners coordinating the seating used inappropriate language with the officers involved, for which the company apologized. Starbucks added that at no point were police officers "expelled" or "reported," as some online accounts claimed. The company said it has always aimed to be rooted in and to serve the community, that its stores maintain good communication with local police and receive strong support from them, and that it welcomes every customer as always.

Public Skepticism and Response

Starbucks' response partly confirmed that "something" did happen between the on-duty officers and its staff. But the company denied any expulsion or complaint, and explained that the officers had been seated outdoors and that a "misunderstanding" occurred when "store partners" coordinated the seating. From what Starbucks has released so far, the public cannot tell how an "arrangement" turned into a "misunderstanding," and the explanation clearly did not convince netizens.

Under the Weibo post, many netizens voiced doubt. "So when there are no seats, you can still 'coordinate'?" one wrote. Another asked, "Leaving everything else aside, would ordinary customers really argue with police over seats? Would they walk up to staff and say, 'I want to sit there, go chase the police away'?" Starbucks did not answer these questions on Weibo. Local police have not commented on the incident either, though a police officer who is a friend of Coffee Workshop shared the news on social media and left just four words on a colleague's post: "Will not go again."

Company Response and Investigation

According to a report by Caixin.com, Starbucks customer service told media earlier today that the company is aware of the incident and is verifying and handling it with the store concerned. If confirmed, the employees involved will be disciplined. Customer service also stressed that Starbucks has no rule prohibiting people from eating at the entrance of its stores.

On the afternoon of the 14th, the Ciqikou Management Committee said its leadership was taking the matter seriously and had launched an investigation. Some netizens reported that the Starbucks at Chongqing's Ciqikou was closed with its doors tightly shut that day. Starbucks did not confirm this, and later that afternoon other netizens visited and found the store had reopened.

Previous Similar Incidents

On July 4, 2019, a similar case happened at a Starbucks in the United States, where an employee asked six police officers drinking coffee inside to leave, saying their presence made customers feel "unsafe." The officers' police department later posted a statement: "Although the barista was polite, ultimately making such a request is offensive."

Three days later, Starbucks apologized for the incident. A spokesperson said: "We take full responsibility for any intentional or unintentional disrespect shown to law enforcement, whom we rely on every day."

Analysis and Conclusion

When ordinary customers come in without buying anything, most staff would speak to them directly about the seats they are occupying. If staff instead cite "affecting the brand image," problems are hard to avoid. That may hold for ordinary customers, but law enforcement officers working the streets are unlikely to be treated the same way, since staff generally go out of their way to make things easier for them.

This is especially true for officers on duty during holidays, who are often deployed from other jurisdictions or temporarily transferred and may have no proper logistical arrangements. They cannot stay long during working hours, and the impact they create is not significant. As Starbucks' response suggested, this was originally part of the coffee trade's "rooted in the community, serving the community," and would be common ground among many in the industry. That it turned into a misunderstanding, and even into a topic netizens worried over, is somewhat surprising.

Image source: Internet, Weibo

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