Starbucks to Temporarily Shut 8,000-Plus Cafes for Bias Training

Starbucks Corp. is temporarily closing more than half of its domestic stores next month so employees can undergo racial-bias training, a response to the arrest of two black men at one of its cafes in Philadelphia. According to a story on Bloomberg.com by Leslie Patton, the coffee chain plans to shut its more than 8,000 company-owned stores during the afternoon of May 29.

Starbucks is facing an outcry following the Philadelphia incident, which involved a manager summoning police after the two men waited at a Starbucks table without ordering. Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson apologized for the arrests, calling them a “reprehensible outcome,” and vowed to better train employees. Read the full story at Bloomberg.com.