How to Work a Coffee Pot: Lessons From Locked Starbucks Seating

A consumer reported that the outdoor seating at a Starbucks store in the Aegean Shopping Park in Dali, Yunnan was chained together with a combination lock during business hours. Photos showed a hose threaded through the chair gaps and secured with one lock. The customer sat outside for an hour and the lock was never opened, which drew wide discussion online.

Store employees called it a last resort to stop tables and chairs from being carried off after closing, and one visitor said staff unlocked the seats on request. The mall said outdoor facilities are managed by the store, while Starbucks customer service apologized and promised better service. The case is a reminder that even a simple coffee street setup raises daily upkeep questions, just as knowing how to work a coffee pot depends on routine care.

Recently, some consumers reported that a Starbucks store locked the seats in its outdoor area with a combination lock during business hours, preventing customers from sitting down normally, which sparked heated discussion online. The store involved is the Starbucks Aegean Shopping Park store in Dali, Yunnan. Employees responded that this was truly a last resort, mainly to prevent tables and chairs from being carried away by passersby during closing hours. The mall stated that outdoor facilities are managed by the store itself, while Starbucks customer service apologized and promised to strengthen service. This article reviews the course of the incident and the responses from all parties, and retains Front Street brand-related recommendations for coffee lovers to learn about.

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Recently, a consumer posted on social media reporting that the outdoor seating at a Starbucks store was locked during business hours and could not be used normally, and expressed that the store's approach was not very customer-friendly.

From the pictures taken by netizens, the outdoor area of this Starbucks store had several tables and more than a dozen chairs, but a hose could be seen passing through the gaps between the chairs arranged around the tables, all locked together with a combination lock.

The customer who noticed this situation said that they arrived at the store around 2 p.m. on May 13 to make a purchase, and then sat in the outdoor area for an hour. During this period, the locks on these tables and chairs placed in the outdoor area were never opened. "I heard one server say to unlock it, while the others remained indifferent. I thought someone would come to unlock it, but in the end, after I finished my coffee, no one came to unlock it."

After the post was published, it triggered discussion among many netizens. One netizen who had also visited this store said that last time they also ordered and wanted to sit outdoors, "after I told the staff, they unlocked it for me," and guessed that the reason the customer found the seats still locked at noon might be that the employee responsible for opening the store had a momentary oversight and forgot to unlock them in time.

As for the reason these outdoor facilities were locked, some believed the store might be worried that the tables and chairs would be stolen when unattended. Others speculated that this practice was to prevent outdoor facilities from being occupied by passersby who had not made a purchase. Some Starbucks employees also appeared in the comments section, saying that if measures were not taken to guard against this, the tables, chairs, sun umbrellas, potted plants, and so on placed outdoors by the store might be "pocketed" by passing pedestrians.

In response to feedback from residents, reporters learned that the store involved was the Starbucks Aegean Shopping Park store in Dali, Yunnan. According to staff, the store's outdoor area had a total of four tables, each equipped with four chairs.

Employees said that when the store closes at 9:30 every night, the evening shift staff, after cleaning the outdoor area, use a combination lock to string together and lock the chairs around the round tables. They explained that if this were not done, these tables and chairs might be moved away and used by passersby during closing hours, and the next day's morning shift staff would helplessly have an extra task of searching for tables and chairs.

In addition, when questioned by reporters, the store employee emphasized that locking the tables and chairs in the outdoor area was truly a last resort, and it was not the store indirectly requiring customers to make a purchase before sitting down. "If customers need to sit outside during the day, we will also unlock them in time."

At the same time, the mall's customer service staff responded in an interview with reporters that after communicating with relevant personnel, it was confirmed that the tables, chairs, hygiene, and so on in the outdoor area of the Starbucks store were the responsibility of and managed by the store's staff. The other party said that the mall management could not intervene in the Starbucks store's practice of locking the tables and chairs in the outdoor area.

After learning of this matter, Starbucks customer service staff said, "We are very sorry for bringing customers a bad experience, and will contact the store involved to strengthen store service management."

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