Starbucks China says customers must buy something to sit in its cafes

Starbucks China announced on October 21 that customers must buy something to sit in its cafes nationwide from October 22. The rule would affect seating across roughly 8,000 stores in China, where the chain is competing with lower-priced local coffee brands. The company said it aims to improve customers’ experience inside its stores.

Stores will display notices explaining the change, according to Bloomberg. The BBC reported that signs saying a purchase was required to sit had already appeared in some stores. It was not immediately clear whether the rule had taken effect across the chain as scheduled or how stores would handle exceptions.

Starbucks China’s plans for its cafes

The seating change follows disputes over how customers use cafe space. The BBC reported that a Starbucks store in Sichuan province drew attention after video showed its outdoor tables and chairs chained up. The chain has also restricted use of its stores elsewhere: in North America, it reversed a policy that had allowed people to sit or use toilets without making a purchase.

Competition from Luckin Coffee

China is Starbucks’ second-largest market, after the company opened its first store there in 1999. Luckin Coffee overtook it as China’s largest coffee chain in 2023, the BBC reported. Luckin’s cheaper drinks and app-based ordering have challenged Starbucks’ larger cafes, where customers can spend time over food and drinks.

Bloomberg reported that Starbucks China’s comparable-store sales fell in each of the previous two fiscal years, although they showed signs of recovery earlier in the current fiscal year. The chain agreed in November 2025 to sell a majority stake in its China business to investment firm Boyu Capital in a deal valued at $4 billion. Neither report established that competition or those sales declines prompted the new seating rule; Starbucks gave improving the in-store experience as its reason.