Starbucks announces new dress code for US employees, EMEA May Follow
Effective immediately, a range of shirt colors beyond solid black and white are welcome for Starbucks partners in the US, including gray, navy, dark denim and brown, including patterns.
Shorts, skirts, dresses and pants, including dark-wash jeans, are all part of the Starbucks wardrobe, and partners are invited to make a statement with hair color, so long as coloring is permanent or semi-permanent, in keeping with food-safety standards. To cap the look off, beanies, fedoras and other suitable hats are welcome.
Visitors to the store were caught slightly off guard by the change, but they welcomed the new style, according to Starbucks 47th & Broadway store manager Mario Leon.
“Customers noticed right away,” Leon said.
“They actually thought that something was wrong. They would ask me, ‘Why are you guys all out of uniform?’ And we just told them, ‘No, this is the new uniform for this store.’ They said, ‘We like it. We’re happy to see that you can wear expressive clothing to show who you are.’”
“This new dress code is what partners have in their closets,” Leon added.
“It just makes it so much easier. It just makes so much sense.”
“I believe these changes work well with our iconic green apron and also complement the passion partners bring to our coffee and their craft,” said Cosimo LaPorta, executive vice president, U.S. Retail Store Operations.
“We want partners to be as proud of their look as they are when they tie on their green apron.”
We reached out to Starbucks in the UK, who told us that despite not affecting the EMEA market at present, they "are looking at new uniform guidelines for our Europe, Middle East and Africa partners and will have more to share in a few months".
