Starbucks, which began opening its stores on Tuesday, said that it will open 85% of its stores in the United States by the end of this week. However, the stores will open with major changes and modified working hours keeping in mind the safety of the customers and to help contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Starbucks' US company-operated locations remained closed for almost two months after the federal government imposed stay-at-home orders, with the coffee giant incurring huge loss. However, many of Starbucks' drive-thru locations remained open as states locked down. In fact, the company has converted many of its stores into drive-thru only on fears of coronavirus.
Starbucks starts reopening across US
Starbucks began opening its stores across the United States from Tuesday, which will continue over the week. CEO Kevin Johnson said that more than 85% of the store will start functioning by the end of this week. The chain plans to have more than 90% of its cafes open up by early June.
Starbucks had shut down all its US and Canadian cafes on March 22 due to the coronavirus-related lockdown restrictions imposed by the government. The cafes have finally started opening but with modified operations and hours. Johnson said that all Starbucks cafes in the United States will be operating under the revised protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a safe experience, including heightened emphasis on cleaning and sanitizing its stores.
Starbucks to introduce modified rules
Although most of the Starbucks cafes remained closed during the stay-at-home restrictions, a few, which the company had converted into drive-thru only, remained operational. The modified rules would now be applicable to all cafes across the United States.
Customers cannot simply walk into cafes, place their orders and sit in a corner with their laptops. They need their treats to go and respect social distancing guidelines set in place by the cafe. Many cafes will accept orders outside the location before the customers are allowed to step inside the cafes.
One of the best options, the company is suggesting is to place orders through the app after choosing a nearby location and then visit the cafe to avoid too much congregation. According to Starbucks, around 20 million customers are suing the Starbucks App as part of their daily routine.
John said that Starbucks is also shifting towards cashless payment to avoid physical contact at its cafes. "We will also shift toward more cashless experiences, knowing that the handling of cash creates consumer concerns about the spread of viruses," said Johnson.
"We predict the mobile app will become the dominant form of payment," added Johnson. Moreover, Starbucks has also announced that it has expanded its service beyond the drive-thru experience to include mobile ordering for contactless pick-up, delivery and, in some locations, curbside pickup and grab-and-go through the cafe.
