During this global COVID-19 pandemic, we Starbucks Retail Partners have a unique place within business operations. We can see anywhere between 300-700 people in a day, whether in a Cafe store or a drive thru. Needless to say, we get to serve so many people! This also means we get to be exposed, regardless of the cleaning standards we implement or masks that we wear, to 300-700 people in a day.

In the State of California, two recent mandates were released stating the following:

1) Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 18th, 2020 ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public or high-risk settings, including when shopping, taking public transit or seeking medical care, after growing concerns that an increase in coronavirus cases has been caused by residents failing to voluntarily take that precaution.

2) On July 1st, 2020The governor took action to halt visits to indoor restaurants, bars, wineries and tasting rooms, entertainment centers, movie theaters, zoos, museums and card rooms for the next three weeks in Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Sacramento counties and other regions hard hit by the virus.

As partners, we feel this is a good step forward towards slowing the increased spread of COVID-19. We are asking that in the state of California, Starbucks stores pursue the following courses of action:

1) Cafe stores revert back to Mobile order only, blocking the entrance of the store to prevent people other than partners coming in or out of the store. 

2) Drive thru stores revert back to mobile order only, along with only drive thru open to prevent people other than partners coming in or out of the store.

3) Resume regular operations once a state mandate is announced to resume regular operations.

As partners, we are present 100% for our guests who come into our Third Place Community, whether to stop for a bit and say hello, or to grab and go and be on their way. Just as we are present with our guests to support them, we also ask Starbucks across California to support our partners within our community and revert back to mobile order/drive thru only. This allows us to do our part to slow the spread of Covid-19 within our communities and enact a change that as a collective, can be impactful and mindful of the future we aim to create together.