Starbucks — Restaurant in Mississauga

I am writing to formally express my deep disappointment and concern regarding an incident I experienced at one of your Ontario locations, near the QEW and Hurontario. I have been a loyal Starbucks customer for many years and have spent a significant amount of money at your stores. However, my recent experience has left me feeling discriminated against and disrespected.

On July 14, 2025, I entered one of your locations with the simple request to use the washroom. I was approached by a young woman who identified herself as the manager—her name was Kim, though I did not get her last name. To my surprise and dismay, I was informed that I could not use the washroom unless I made a purchase. I was told this was store policy, and it was even suggested that the reason behind the policy was to discourage what was described as “crackheads” from accessing the facilities.

I found this justification extremely offensive and discriminatory. I am a paying customer, and I do not believe I presented myself in any way that warranted such an assumption or treatment. The implication that I was being associated with such a stereotype was both hurtful and unacceptable.

This experience left me questioning the values your company claims to uphold. Starbucks has long marketed itself as a welcoming, community-oriented brand, yet the treatment I received stood in stark contrast to those ideals. It is concerning that any customer—especially one who has supported your business over the years—would be denied basic dignity and respect.

As a result of this experience, I no longer wish to patronize Starbucks. I currently have a Starbucks gift card with a balance of $15 and would like to request a refund of that amount. I would appreciate clear instructions on how to return the card and receive a refund for the unused balance.

I also believe it is important for your company to be aware of how these store-level policies and behaviors are affecting your long-standing customers. I may also share my experience publicly so others can be informed of how I was treated.

Please contact me via phone or email to process my refund and address this matter further. I hope to hear from someone in your customer care or escalation team at your earliest...

I used to LOVE this Starbucks soo much, a few of the workers there are so sweet and kind. However, there was an incident with a guy named Robin, never had an issue with him before but he was so friendly and kind to everyone before and after me and there was one thing different, I had on a scarf. Felt a bit islamaphopic . I am all for growth and learning but his service was very poor. I was told by a previous worker there about this sort of discrimination but didn’t believe it until I saw it for the first time today. Won’t be spending my $ here anymore because service and equality is very important to me. Just a friendly reminder, we all are human and there is no reason to project what you feel on to others especially in customer service. Kindness should be to all people who come in to your store until they show you otherwise. If you can’t be friendly to people of all walks of life perhaps a job in customer service is not for you. Love always wins and I’m very disappointed to say the least of what I experienced today.

Came here today because I had some money in my Starbucks card so thought to use it, & in 2025 same ish lol nice guy tho arrow or aro (hope I spelt it right) he is dope amazing energy & genuine may God bless him. There is a little Asian girl there really bad attitude I really hope whatever got her so unkind she can heal God willing. Bad energy in my drink lol thankfully I used all the money no wonder Starbucks isn’t the same. Cheer up life’s hard for everyone kindness takes nothing tho & actually gives you more blessings in...

Do NOT go to this Starbucks location if you plan on finding a place to sit down during afternoon hours. Their altered seating arrangements due to COVID-19 makes absolutely NO SENSE . They have one half of the store closed off for seating, and only the narrowest portion of the store is open to sit down. There was less social distancing going on in the area that was designated for seating while the other half of the store, which was FULL of empty seats, was unoccupied. There was zero regard for wheelchair accessibility as the hallway containing the tables/chairs was cramped for room as well.

Use some common sense; if the purpose of moving tables around is to make customers stay 6 feet away from each other, why is this being done in the narrowest part of the store while the widest portion/opposite portion is empty? And even accounting for an emergency fire exit, this layout makes no sense as customers sitting in the cluttered back would have trouble navigating through the poorly placed tables.

You would think that the employees and supervisor would be receptive of these concerns. The store supervisor was extremely dismissive when I asked if some more room on the empty opposite side of the store could be made. I hope someone from management can read this and use this as constructive criticism to change the store layout and train their employees to value accessibility.

I hope the lack of business from those looking to get some work done inside is enough to make these clueless managers re-evaluate their seating...