A Starbucks in Studio City will only serve to-go orders after removing its guest seating last month over “safety concerns” for customers and employees.
It’s not clear whether a specific incident prompted the change or when the coffee shop in the 10900 block of Ventura Boulevard removed its seating, but complaints were posted Social media regarding the date of decision at the end of April, The move comes nearly a year after the popular coffee chain closed six stores in the Los Angeles area “due to challenging events that make it unsafe to continue to operate.”
According to KTTV-TV News, a sign posted at the entrance of the Studio City store said, “Due to safety concerns for our customers and partners, we have temporarily removed seating at this location.”
A Starbucks spokeswoman said Thursday that the sign has been removed, but declined to answer questions about when the seating might return or whether other stores in the area might take similar action.
“We use a variety of criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers, and there are a variety of store formats in Los Angeles and the surrounding area, including drive-thru, pickup and cafe,” the spokesperson said. he said.
In a statement, the Seattle-based coffee giant said it prides itself on “creating a safe, warm and welcoming third space environment,” meaning a space separate from a person’s work and home. But the statement added that store managers “reserve the right to modify store operations and use the many resources at their disposal to create the best possible experience for our communities.”
“Our first priority is to ensure that our associates are safe at work,” the statement said.
Several stores in the San Francisco Bay Area have also seen their furniture disappear in the last year, according to reports from the online publication Hoodline, including a store in the Castro neighborhood. The approach forced customers to grab their coffee and go, much like a Studio City Starbucks.
While the company has not announced plans to close the Studio City location, it previously closed stores over safety concerns.
When it closed six L.A. stores and 10 others across the country last year, Starbucks cited “a high volume of challenging events that makes it unsafe to continue,” according to a Starbucks spokesperson. The company cited mental health issues, drug use, and chronic homelessness as contributing factors to its decision.
LA City Council member Nithya Raman, who represents the district where the Studio City outlet is located, said her office has heard from many business operators who say the mental health and homelessness crisis is the biggest issue they face. are doing.
“For too long, the city didn’t do enough to address our homelessness crisis,” Raman said in an interview Thursday. The lack of response has forced employees like Starbucks’ baristas to become “the frontline response to the ongoing crisis.”
Raman said she is working to expand the Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) program, an alternative to non-emergency 911 calls, to include people experiencing homelessness .
“We are focusing on ending homelessness,” Raman said. “We need to act more quickly on this.”
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