FOOD NEWS
14 Rules You Didn't Know Starbucks Employees Had To Follow
BY GREG BAKER
1. Hair Color
Starbucks doesn't frown on colored hair, but it does insist that dyes be permanent or semi-permanent for reasons rooted in food safety.
Temporary hair color can run and splotch, getting on anything it touches, which could contaminate food. Likewise, glitter is a no-no for the same reason.
2. Stations
Each Starbucks employee gets assigned to a specific station for their shift, and workers cannot take it upon themselves to move stations.
There are several rationalizations for this, as the employee may throw a wrench into the efficiency of operations or cause mistakes by moving to a station they aren’t trained on.
3. Piercings
Policies formerly stated that facial piercings and ear gauges were a hard no from a corporate standpoint. However, that policy has since relaxed a bit.
Starbucks is now attempting to balance its brand image and evolving societal norms by allowing employees to have one small facial piercing or small ear gauges.
4. Tattoos
Starbucks kept a more wholesome image for its employees by not allowing visible tattoos until 2014 when employees petitioned for and won the right to have them.
The current dress code allows visible tattoos, but anything obscene, sexual, or otherwise profane is not permitted. Tattoos on the neck and face are also exempt from the policy.
5. Plain
Starbucks dictates what employees may do with their hands to ensure FDA compliance. While working, employees may not wear rings, except one plain band.
Starbucks also bans nail polish, fake fingernails, and fragrances. The latter is not due to the food code, but to keep scents from interfering with that of the brand’s coffee.