Starbucks Announced A ‘To-Go’ Model Amid The Coronavirus Outbreak

Starbucks announced this past weekend that it would be temporarily closing some of its stores and temporarily transitioning to a “to-go” model in all of its other U.S. and Canadian stores as a result of social distancing recommendations during the coronavirus outbreak.

The brand announced the step in a blog post on Sunday, saying that the move to a carry-out model would last at least two weeks. This means customers will not be able to sit in outdoor and indoor dining areas at Starbucks locations. They will still be able to walk up and order at the counter, through the “order ahead” feature in the Starbucks app, via the drive-thru, and use delivery.

Starbucks also announced it will have a “modified condiment bar” in all of its locations and that customers could see changes in its “order ahead” handoff areas on a store-by-store basis.

In addition to the changes at these locations, the chain announced that it would implement temporary closures for “company-owned stores in high-social gathering locations, such as malls and university campuses” and temporary store closures or reduced operating hours in communities with high clusters of coronavirus cases.

    “As we all know, the situation with COVID-19 is extremely dynamic and we will continue to review the facts and science and make the proactive decisions necessary to protect our partners, customers and communities,” wrote executive vice president and president of U.S. company-operated business and Canada Rossann Williams.

    These are just the latest guidelines Starbucks has put in place as a result of the virus’s spread. Earlier in the month, Starbucks announced it would no longer be refilling customers’ re-usable cups at its locations and that it would be offering catastrophe pay to employees who been diagnosed with the coronavirus, or have been exposed to it.

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