Coffee after lunch: why did a Starbucks store ask police officers to leave?

In Chongqing's Ciqikou ancient town, police officers on duty took their lunch break at outdoor tables outside a Starbucks store and were asked by staff to move, on the grounds that eating there affected the brand image. Staff later complained about the officers, who had cleaned the table before leaving. Starbucks customer service said the matter was being verified and that employees would be disciplined if the report proved true.

The incident spread quickly online, with netizens questioning the store's handling of officers who stayed near the tourist center during a busy weekend so the public could reach them. An influencer cited a regulation on police conduct that turned out to be pieced together from another text. Similar disputes over driving away officers have happened before, in US stores and at Songshan Wanda in China.

Recently, an incident in the ancient town of Ciqikou in Chongqing sparked widespread discussion: police officers on duty were eating at outdoor tables and chairs outside a Starbucks store when staff asked them to leave on the grounds of "affecting the brand image," and they were subsequently complained about. The incident quickly fermented online, with netizens questioning whether Starbucks' actions were appropriate. At the same time, an internet influencer cited the so-called "Internal Affairs Regulations of the Public Security Organs' People's Police" to question the officers' behavior, but it was found that the cited content was actually pieced together from another regulation. Starbucks customer service responded that they were verifying the matter and would discipline the employees involved if it was true. This is not the first time Starbucks has been caught in controversy over driving away police; similar incidents have occurred before at stores in the United States and at Songshan Wanda in China. This article walks you through the full picture of the event and the voices from all sides.

Many people's first reaction upon seeing this news was speechlessness. But what happened next immediately sent public opinion into a complete uproar.

It happened to be the weekend, and as a popular tourist attraction in Chongqing, the ancient town of Ciqikou was welcoming a large number of visitors. The jurisdiction therefore deployed additional police officers on duty to maintain order and serve the public, most of whom were stationed at the tourist center and in crowded areas. When lunchtime came, the officers may have considered that leaving their posts to eat would leave them short-staffed, so they chose to eat at the outdoor tables and chairs of the Starbucks next to the Ciqikou tourist center, so that citizens could find them immediately if they ran into trouble.

Halfway through their meal, a Starbucks employee came over and asked: Could you eat somewhere else? Eating here like this affects our brand image. The officers felt helpless and could only hurry through their meal, and before leaving they even cleaned the table thoroughly, leaving no trash behind. Yet afterward, Starbucks staff called the relevant department and complained about the officers on duty who had eaten at the store entrance.

Why would Starbucks employees feel that officers eating at the entrance damaged the brand image? An internet influencer offered his view and took the opportunity to "educate" people with an excerpt from the "Internal Affairs Regulations of the Public Security Organs' People's Police":

The influencer also questioned a police officer's Weibo post:

Faced with the question, the police officer responded as follows:

Another police officer online explained for everyone why officers often squat by the roadside to eat boxed meals.

Just as netizens were arguing endlessly over whether it was appropriate for officers on duty to eat boxed meals in public, someone discovered that the so-called Article 17 excerpt from the "Internal Affairs Regulations of the Public Security Organs' People's Police" posted by that influencer simply did not hold up.

It turned out that what the influencer cited actually came from the "Regulations on the Dress Management of the Public Security Organs' People's Police," and he had chopped off the beginnings and ends of several provisions and pieced them together into one paragraph, passing it off as an "excerpt from the Internal Affairs Regulations of the Public Security Organs' People's Police." Regardless of anything else, this influencer will probably have to wait for the public security authorities to invite him for "coffee."

Regarding the matter of "Starbucks employees believing that officers on duty eating at the entrance affected the brand image," other netizens also commented one after another:

Starbucks customer service responded: We are verifying the situation with the store involved, and if it is true, we will discipline the employees involved... At the same time, they emphasized that Starbucks has no rule prohibiting people from eating at the store entrance.

Just then, a Weibo post appeared in the comments section, apparently from an eyewitness at the scene:

Netizens raised several doubts about this Weibo post: If the officers really were politely asked and guided to eat elsewhere, why was there still a complaint afterward? Does Starbucks provide a dining area for public officials? Was it the customers who asked Starbucks employees to "persuade" the officers to leave, or was it the employees' own idea?

Similar incidents have actually played out both domestically and abroad. In July 2019, Starbucks in the United States publicly apologized for driving away police officers who were drinking coffee in the store, on the grounds that the officers made customers feel "unsafe." In August 2021, the Starbucks at Songshan Wanda also "persuaded" officers to leave on the grounds of "fear of affecting the brand image."

As of press time, Starbucks China/official has not made any statement on this matter.

Image source: Weibo, internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.