Starbucks will close 8,000 stores nationwide on Tuesday afternoon for anti-bias training as the company tires to restore its tarnished image as a hangout where all are welcome.
The Starbucks in Butler Township will close at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a sign posted on the location’s door. The training will reportedly last four hours and the coffee chain will re-open at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The closure and training comes after Starbucks faced controversy last month when a manager of a Philadelphia store called police on two black men after they asked to use the bathroom without buying anything. The men were arrested. Starbucks leaders have since apologized, changed their policy, and met with the two men. The company also reached out to activists and experts in bias training to put together a curriculum for its 175,000 workers.
The company says they will use Tuesday’s training to educate their employees on biases and stereotypes.
CBS News spoke with Starbucks’ Executive Chairman Howard Schultz on Tuesday morning. You can watch that interview here.
Associated Press & CBS News contributed to this report.
