What Led to the Women Cafe Dress Code Ruling?

In Washington State, drive-thru coffee shops staffed by baristas in bikinis and lingerie date to the 1980s and drew repeated complaints from residents and legislators. Local governments passed dress code rules restricting employee attire, but federal courts found elements of gender discrimination in those rules, and the dress code was abolished in 2021.

After the rules were dropped, baristas gained the freedom to choose what they wear. Not long afterward, an attempted kidnapping targeting an employee raised concerns about safety in these working environments, sharpening the debate over how such coffee shops market themselves and how staff are protected.

In most people's perception, baristas usually present a neat and professional image, but in Washington State, USA, some coffee shops use scantily clad female baristas as a selling point, offering drive-thru service. Since this bikini-style marketing was born in the 1980s, it has brought booming business while also continuously sparking controversy. Local governments have repeatedly introduced regulations restricting employee attire, only to have them ruled as carrying elements of gender discrimination by federal courts. After the dress code was abolished in 2021, baristas won the freedom to wear what they want, but not long afterward, an attempted kidnapping targeting an employee occurred, raising concerns about the safety of such working environments.

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In the general impression, the image of a barista is often sunny, cheerful, full of passion, and neatly and professionally dressed.

However, in some coffee shops in Washington State, USA, baristas wear bikinis, and some even wear only pasties and thongs, making and serving coffee to customers in a semi-nude state. Such a scene is truly jaw-dropping.

Bikini coffee shops first appeared in the 1980s, focusing on a drive-thru service model, where customers can buy coffee without getting out of their cars. The baristas in the shops rely on sexy clothing such as bikinis, lingerie, and high heels to attract customers.

As business grew increasingly prosperous, the brand opened branches one after another in Washington State. Fueled by the spread of the internet, its fame rose rapidly and sparked widespread discussion. At the time, Washington State legislators criticized this bikini-style marketing as exploiting women.

Although it did not violate the law, this practice drew resistance from a large number of women and parents, and was long criticized by local residents, gradually approaching the government's tolerance limit.

Over the years, people continuously complained to the local government, saying it was very awkward when passing by with children and difficult to explain to them why these women were making coffee in revealing clothing, while almost all the customers waiting in line were men.

Some baristas at the shop behaved even more without limits, promoting themselves while at work and engaging in other profit-making activities after work. Faced with these chaotic practices, local coffee industry practitioners also took an opposing stance, believing that this damaged the public image of baristas and the coffee industry.

The local government was not inactive. Over two decades, it took multiple measures, including designating the relevant branches as adult entertainment venues and ordering them to close. In 2017, Seattle and Everett to the north passed a regulation explicitly stipulating that restaurant and coffee shop employees must comply with dress requirements, with violators subject to fines, and specifically stated that wearing only pasties or thongs to work was not allowed.

However, after the regulation took effect, it aroused dissatisfaction among the baristas at this brand's shops. They believed that clothing was a personal freedom, and many depended on this job to make a living, so they filed a lawsuit in federal court, questioning the legality of the dress code.

The federal court also believed that the local regulation contained obvious gender discrimination, and it was hard to imagine how this law could be applied equally to men and women in actual enforcement. In October 2021, the court struck down the clause in local law requiring compliance with dress rules.

This ruling allowed the shop's baristas to win the freedom of dress granted by the Constitution, but just a few months later, an attempted kidnapping case occurred.

According to local U.S. media reports, a random abduction incident occurred in the early morning recently. When a male customer was ordering at the drive-thru window, while the female clerk was giving change, he grabbed her arm, attempted to tie her hands with zip ties, and tried to pull her into the car.

Fortunately, the shop was equipped with a silent alarm, a spiked club, and a stun baton, so the female clerk was able to escape. The police later arrested the suspect early that morning.

Regarding this encounter, the victim said it was just a random incident, and the coffee shop had rarely encountered similar situations since opening many years ago, so she would continue this job.

Alas, although most women choose this kind of work due to life pressure, career choices could be more diverse. If conditions allow, I still hope everyone will prioritize positions that can ensure personal safety.

Image source: Internet

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