Why did the fear coffee debate follow Starbucks' apology?

Starbucks China apologized after reports that police officers eating at its Chongqing Ciqikou Ancient Town store were asked to leave. The company said the incident was a communication misunderstanding caused by inappropriate language during seat coordination, and denied that officers were asked to leave or complained about. The statement drew more than 10,000 comments within an hour, and doubts continued to grow.

At around 5 p.m. on February 13, four officers were seated outdoors, and staff later asked to rearrange the area for other customers. Starbucks said employees involved would face discipline if the matter was confirmed, and the local management committee intervened. The case echoed a 2019 US Starbucks incident, and the fear coffee debate returned because such conflicts shape how communities view cafes.

Recently, news that police officers were asked to leave while eating at the entrance of a Starbucks in Chongqing's Ciqikou Ancient Town spread rapidly on social media, drawing widespread attention and trending on Weibo. Starbucks China subsequently responded, saying the incident was a misunderstanding caused by inappropriate language during seat coordination and denying that officers were asked to leave or complained about. However, the apology did not quell netizens' doubts, and related discussions continued to intensify. Meanwhile, reports said Starbucks customer service stated that if the matter was confirmed, the employees involved would be disciplined, and the local management committee had also intervened in the investigation. The incident also recalled a similar case at a U.S. Starbucks in 2019. As coffee lovers, we cannot help but think: how should cafes and community law enforcement officers coexist harmoniously? Front Street Coffee has always advocated a community-friendly philosophy, paying attention to the warmth behind every cup of coffee.

Last night, a WeChat Moments post circulated online, claiming that police officers on duty at the Ciqikou Ancient Town scenic spot in Chongqing were asked to leave because they were eating at the entrance of a Starbucks. Online rumors pointed out that the reason for asking them to leave was that Starbucks employees feared officers eating at the entrance would damage the brand's image, and after the officers left, they complained about them. This topic quickly sparked public discussion and immediately climbed onto today's Sina Weibo trending list. On the evening of the 14th, Starbucks China had to respond to netizens' concerns on Weibo. Just one hour after the response was posted, it attracted more than 10,000 comments from netizens.

In its response, Starbucks said that after verification the facts were as follows: at around 5 p.m. on February 13, four police officers came to the store, and the store arranged for them to dine in the outdoor seating area. Later, because other customers wanted to dine in that outdoor seating area, store partners and the officers involved had a communication misunderstanding due to inappropriate language while coordinating seats, for which we sincerely apologize. However, during the incident, there was no "asking officers to leave" or "complaining about officers" as circulated online. Starbucks has always been committed to taking root in the community and serving the community. The store has consistently maintained good communication with the local police and received strong support from them. Starbucks, as always, welcomes every customer.

Starbucks' response confirmed part of the previously circulated online information, namely that "something" did indeed happen between officers on duty and Starbucks employees. But Starbucks denied the claims of "asking officers to leave" and "complaining about officers," while explaining that the store had arranged for the officers to dine in the outdoor seating area because other customers wanted to dine outdoors, and that a misunderstanding arose when "store partners" coordinated seats with the officers involved. Based on the information Starbucks has released so far, the public cannot know the specific reasons for the shift from "arranging" to "misunderstanding," but it is clear that this explanation has not won netizens' approval.

Under Starbucks' Weibo post, many netizens raised doubts. One netizen said: "So when there were no seats, you could still handle 'coordination'?" Another commented: "Say what you will, would a customer really compete with police for a seat, go tell the staff I want to sit there so you go drive the police away?" But Starbucks' Weibo did not reply to these questions. The local police did not respond to the matter, while a police officer among Coffee Workshop's friends reposted the news on WeChat Moments and commented on a fellow officer's repost with four words: never going again.

According to Caijing, Starbucks customer service said earlier today when responding to media inquiries that it had noticed the matter and was verifying and handling it with the relevant store, and that if confirmed, the employees involved would be disciplined. Customer service also stressed that Starbucks has no rule prohibiting people from eating at the store entrance.

On the afternoon of the 14th, the Ciqikou Management Committee said that leaders attached great importance to the matter and had intervened in the investigation. Some netizens claimed that the Starbucks in Chongqing's Ciqikou was closed with its doors shut today, but Starbucks did not confirm this. Later in the afternoon, other netizens visited the store and found that it had resumed business.

Previously, on July 4, 2019, a similar incident occurred at a U.S. Starbucks, when a Starbucks employee asked six police officers drinking coffee in the store to leave because the officers' presence made customers feel "unsafe." Afterwards, the police department in the officers' jurisdiction published an article saying: "Although the barista was polite, making such a request is ultimately offensive."

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

If ordinary consumers come to a store without buying anything, most operators will communicate directly with the customers occupying seats. If operators use "affecting brand image" as a reason, then it is indeed hard to avoid problems. That is for ordinary consumers, but for city law enforcement officers, it is unlikely they would be treated exactly the same; generally, operators give them more convenience.

This is because, especially during holidays, officers on duty are often transferred from other jurisdictions or temporarily assigned, and may not have corresponding logistical arrangements, nor are they likely to stay for long periods during work, so the impact is not great. As Starbucks said in its response, this was originally part of cafe operators "taking root in the community and serving the community," and it would also be the consensus of many operators. But in the end it turned into a misunderstanding and even became a topic of public attention, which is still a bit surprising.

Image source: Internet, Weibo

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