Starbucks stops filling reusable coffee cups. That led a Boise chain to do this
Coffee titan Starbucks announced this week that it will temporarily stop filling coffee cups brought in by customers, in an attempt to prevent possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.
Boise chain Moxie Java says it will follow suit Friday. The change will be carried out first at the company’s headquarters store at 4990 W. Chinden Boulevard and at the corporate-owned shop at 6625 N. Glenwood Ave.
Owners of Moxie Java’s 12 franchise shops in Idaho, North Dakota and South Carolina will be encouraged to do the same, company co-owner Ryan Stewart said.
Stewart praises customers who want to protect the environment by bringing in their own cup instead of getting their coffee in a paper cup. “It’s the responsible thing to do,” he said by phone.
“But, man, if they’re sick and they hand their cup to my people to refill and we spread it to everyone we touch all day, that’s not good.”
Moxie Java employees are taking extra care to wipe down and sanitize counters, tables and other surfaces touched by customers and workers, along with restrooms, he said.
Rossann Williams, an executive vice president for Starbucks, posted an open letter on the company’s website explaining steps the Seattle coffee company is taking to protect the health of customers and employees.
Williams wrote that Starbucks is taking guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase cleaning and sanitizing across the company to prevent the spread of germs.
Stewart said it is not a hard call to stop refilling customer cups for now.
“In our discussion, we asked whether we wait until there’s an outbreak in Boise and as people are going crazy we’re trying to be reactive,” he said. “Or can we just do some simple things right now to be proactive and try to stay in front of it?”
Customers may want to consider using the drive-thru instead of coming inside, he said.
“If we can take steps to help reduce the exposure for people, man, we’re all in,” Stewart said.
What other coffee shops are doing
Kent Collins, owner of Flying M Coffee in Boise, said by email that he is still allowing customers to bring in their own cups.
Collins said his staff is “always on high alert” about germs. He said spoons or other utensils are not used in more than one cup between washings.
“We always do our very best to keep our customers and employees safe,” he said. “That being said, things may have to change in the future. That will be re-evaluated daily.”
Dutch Bros. said it’s evaluating the use of personal mugs at stores and expects to issue an announcement in the next few days, spokeswoman Hillary Brown said by email.
The Grants Pass, Oregon, company has been in contact with local health departments and is monitoring CDC recommendations.
“We’re following their guidelines and ensuring our shops are sanitized, our crews are following best practices provided by experts and enforcing our policy that anyone who may feel ill stays home,” Brown said. We have a team of people working on response plans and will continue to strive to be responsive and nimble as we all navigate this situation.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
