Starbucks Canada plans to open as many stores as possible by the end of May, the company said this morning. It had closed most stores completely as of March 20, and many of those stores reopened on April 27.
The company currently offers drive-through, delivery and pick-up service at its stores.
Dine-in service remains banned in B.C., although provincial health officer Bonnie Henry has said that she plans to work with the restaurant industry to hear proposals for how in-restaurant dining could be done safely.
BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association CEO Ian Tostenson then put together a working group with dozens of restaurant owners, including Starbucks, to draft a proposal that he has since passed on to government.
Starbucks said it will monitor and adjust operations, making decisions to open additional stores or expand services, such as curb-side, pick-up or walk-in orders, on a community-by-community basis within Canada. It added that it will work closely with local leadership, health authorities and provincial governments as the environment and regulations change.
All partners, or licensees will attend two blocks of training over two days to learn about safety and operational changes and community building.
Starbucks Canada began paying what it called “catastrophe pay” in early March and will continue to provide this pay through June 14 for any partner:
- who is required to self-isolate, or has been exposed to someone with symptoms or may have symptoms of COVID-19 and is unable to work;
- whose home store is closed, and no other work is available in close proximity;
- who is unable to work because of childcare limitations; and
- who is working reduced hours that fall below their average hours.
It did not go into details for how much catastrophe pay is.
Precautionary measures remain in place.
All partners are required to wear a facial covering if they are working at a store. Partners are reminded not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth, and to wash their hands, maintain physical distancing and sanitize high touch surfaces frequently.
The company has also sourced plexiglass shields to install in stores that have been closed so that when they reopen baristas will be better protected against the global pandemic.
