Starbucks Apologizes To Philadelphia Police Officer After Viral Bathroom Incident

Starbucks apologized to a Philadelphia police officer after his rant about the coffee chain's Center City location went viral.

Philadelphia officer Joe Leigthardt posted the complaint from another officer, who is not named, on Friday.

The incident that happened late last week involved a uniformed Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) sergeant who was told by the employee at the 13th and Chestnut street location that he couldn't use the bathroom because he wasn't a paying customer, FOX29 reported.

A fellow police officer shared the sergeant's post on Facebook that described the incident. According to his telling of events, the officer asked twice, was denied the key code to access the bathroom and the two got into a brief verbal argument.

The post by the sergeant, which was also shared with Starbucks on Facebook by officer Joe Leighthardt.

The post has more than 17,000 shares and more than 4,000 likes, and many commented voicing their support of the anonymous officer.

Starbucks posted a comment on the photo of the complaint, saying it wasn't in line with their customer service policy and that they were aware of the situation.

When asked about the incident, Starbucks issued the following statement to PhillyVoice, saying they apologized to the officer:

"We want everyone who visits our stores to enjoy their visit. This customer’s experience was not consistent with the welcoming and friendly environment we strive to create for everyone. We have personally apologized to the customer and look forward to welcoming him back to our store."

When asked whether Starbucks bathrooms are only for paying customers, the spokesperson said they were open to the public.

In the comment section of the original post, Leigthardt clarified that he didn't believe officers should receive special treatment but said they oftentimes don't have many options when they want to use the restroom.