Beginning July 15, Starbucks will make it mandatory for customers to wear face coverings at all of its 9,000 company-owned locations in the U.S.

Starbucks stated in a blog post that it is working to prioritize “the health and well-being” of both employees and customers.

According to Starbucks customers not wearing a face mask will be asked to pick-up orders at the drive-thru, or by curbside pick-up. This will be the case even where local governments may not be requiring the wearing of face coverings.

Its been mandatory for employees to wear face coverings since mid-March and in many local stores you likely have seen signs asking customers to wear masks, but Starbucks just kicked it up a level.

“The company is committed to playing a constructive role in supporting health and government officials as they work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Starbucks joins numerous other national companies requiring masks in their stores as in, Costco, the Apple Store, Dollar Tree, Verizon and AT&T.

Here are some of the current safety measures in place at Starbucks amid the coronavirus pandemic:

  • Enhanced cleaning measures: Starbucks is committed to caring for the health and well-being of its partners (employees) and customers and playing a constructive role in supporting local health officials and government leaders. The company continues to observe elevated cleaning and sanitizing protocols that meet or exceed public health guidelines and can help to reduce the spread of COVID-19. All stores use the “Clean, Safe and Ready” system to ensure the well-being of partners and customers, cleaning high touch surface areas as frequently.
  • Additional precautions: Starbucks is also taking precautio­­ns for every partner that works in its stores to protect them and their customers. Prior to beginning every shift, all partners complete a pre-check, including safety precautions such as taking their temperature, to ensure they are ready and able to work. Partners are also required to wear facial coverings during their shifts and continue to frequently wash their hands. They also have the option to wear gloves.
  • Safety Protocols: We respectfully require customers follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores. It is our responsibility to protect our partners and comply with local public health mandates.  As such, our partners have the right and responsibility to refuse service to customers who are not wearing facial coverings. As we continue to ensure the health and well-being of our partners and customers, we have temporarily closed our restrooms to the public in stores where the café or café seating is unavailable, with exceptions made for uniformed emergency responders and those covered by Ally’s law.