Image Courtesy of Starbucks
Select Starbucks Stores Have a Panic Button: Why Do They Need It?
January 27, 2025
Select Starbucks stores have a panic button hidden underneath their counters that baristas can access if necessary. Is there a reason they need it?
Per Fortune Magazine, the button is installed in select stores. Fortune cited a Starbucks employee who revealed the presence of the panic button, which should be utilized as a safety measure only. It is reportedly only supposed to be used when there is an incident that would require further assistance than normal or when customers or workers feel unsafe. However, that same employee said they didn’t have explicit training on when to push it.
This button activates an emergency lock-down. It secures the doors to outside customers while allowing those inside the store to exit. When a barista hits that button, an internal security team is also alerted.
The button has only been installed in around five U.S. stores to test its effectiveness. It was installed to assist with in-store security and help its baristas feel safer while working, particularly since Starbucks reversed its open-door policy for customers. The previous open-door policy was put in place in 2018 after two Black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks where they had gone for a business meeting.
According to Business Insider, testing these panic buttons is just one way Starbucks is prepping for the policy reversal. It is also training its employees to de-escalate conflict with customers who are breaking its new guidelines, such as those sitting in-store for a “prolonged” amount of time without buying anything or asking to fill up a water bottle without making a purchase.
Why Would Starbucks Baristas Need To Push a Panic Button?
Ever since Starbucks implemented the new policy, effective Jan. 27, which states that customers must purchase an item to use its restrooms or hang out in the stores, there have been reported security concerns. The company’s previous policy was lax — customers were able to sit at the store as long as they wanted, and anyone could use the restroom if they needed to.
“Implementing a Coffeehouse Code of Conduct is something most retailers already have and is a practical step that helps us prioritize our paying customers who want to sit and enjoy our cafes or need to use the restroom during their visit,” Jaci Anderson, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement to The New York Times.
This new rule is part of Starbucks’s updated Code of Conduct, which is now on display in every store. Behaviors such as discrimination, harassment, smoking, and panhandling are prohibited, and those who violate these rules will be asked to leave the store. Employees will be within their rights to call law enforcement, per the new policy.
This is likely why the panic button was set in place, as a way for employees to deal with those unwilling to adhere to the new policies without being confrontational. Sara Trilling, the president of Starbucks North America, said in a letter to store managers, “We know from customers that access to comfortable seating and a clean, safe environment is critical to the Starbucks experience they love. We’ve also heard from you, our partners, that there is a need to reset expectations for how our spaces should be used, and who uses them.”
Starbucks reversed its open-door policy after almost seven years. The new policies are meant to prioritize paying customers and improve the environment of its coffee shops. The company first began to reconsider this policy back in 2022.
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