Starbucks, long synonymous with the idea of a "third place" between home and work, has reversed its open-door policy.

Starbucks' recent policy change mandates purchases for restroom use and hanging out, reversing its 2018 'open-door' policy.

Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. For a brand that has long posed as something akin to a community space, issuing a “code of ...

After years of many people using Starbucks as a place to hang, to work or to use the bathroom — a typical "third place" — the coffee giant has decided to change its rules. Its "open door ...

While Niccol didn’t name specific items, he has said the coffee chain’s menu has become “overly complex” resulting in long ...

Opening restrooms and cafes to the general public has helped Starbucks brand itself as a “third place” between work and home and bring potential customers through the door. However ...

The new policy can be seen as a departure from Starbucks’s previous commitment to becoming a “third place”: a space outside of home and work where people can connect and socialize.

There are endless threads to pull with Starbucks’ turnaround, down to the very ink on customers’ cups as they order. But CEO ...