Starbucks prepares to gradually reopen stores - but service will look different
In a letter sent to employees Thursday morning, Starbucks Corp. CEO Kevin Johnson announced the Seattle-based coffee chain would gradually reopen in the U.S. guided by public health factors but serving customers would still be done at a distance.
Pointing to evidence that social distancing measures that appear to be working, reopening stores in the U.S. will follow the example of Starbucks locations in China, Johnson said, transitioning into a “monitor and adapt” phase that gradually reopens stores based on each community.
Starbucks closed many of its cafes across the country last month as social distancing measures were enacted across the nation, operating drive-thru-only locations. More than 60 percent of the Starbucks stores include a drive-thru in the U.S., Johnson said, and about 80 percent of all customer orders were placed “on-the-go” prior to COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson said in his email.
“We have tested a variety of service options in more than 300 stores across the U.S. over the last few weeks, including contactless service, entryway pickup, curbside delivery and at-home delivery,” Johnson said. “Thanks to our digital leadership, we are positioned to evolve the Starbucks experience for millions of our loyal customers.”
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2020/04/16/starbucks-to-gradually-reopen-stores-service-covid.html?ana=e_ae_prem&j=90504667&t=Afternoon&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTW1JM05EZzRZVFF6TldSaiIsInQiOiJDWlwvOUJCN1F1czBGQ1paOFJ2WjN1QkxnbnpSVHc5RkhYeU00M1FBRVorczRUOXNod1NQTEU1Q0lJaW1veWdVbVczSzNoSTE4VVprWWlFZjQ4K0FtZjdpbVdSNTU3N2dvazZPNDdRSHRGQUlZSlpuOVwvaHBpd09cL0NPUURKdjhpdyJ9
= new reply since forum marked as read
