The Reading / Listening - Starbucks Cafes - Level 1

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has announced that anyone can enter one of Starbucks' 8,000 cafes in the USA without buying anything. Starbucks staff must treat everyone in the cafe as a customer. Mr Schultz said: "Any person who enters our spaces, including...restrooms, regardless of whether they make a purchase, is considered a customer." People can now use Starbucks to sit down, relax and use the Internet.

The new rule will make life easier for cafe managers. In April, managers told customers to leave a cafe or to not use the bathroom. Two black men were arrested in handcuffs for waiting for a friend. A week later, a black man was told he could not use the bathroom. He put a video online of a white man using the same bathroom without buying anything. Schultz said he didn't want to make Starbucks a public bathroom, but the new policy was good.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Starbucks Cafes - Level 0,  Starbucks Cafes - Level 2   or  Starbucks Cafes - Level 3

Sources
  • https://mashable.com/2018/05/19/new-starbucks-policy-buy-something-sit-bathroom/
  • https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/05/you-can-now-officially-sit-in-any-starbucks-and-use-the-bathroom-without-buying-anything.html
  • https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/11/610337214/starbucks-will-give-people-the-key-to-restroom-regardless-of-purchase-ceo-says


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Starbucks
  2. anyone can
  3. one of Starbucks'
  4. without buying
  5. treat everyone in the cafe
  6. Any person who
  7. regardless of whether
  8. relax and use the
  1. as a customer
  2. anything
  3. Internet
  4. 8,000 cafes
  5. CEO
  6. they make a purchase
  7. enter
  8. enters our spaces

Paragraph 2

  1. told customers
  2. arrested in
  3. waiting
  4. He put a video
  5. a white man using
  6. without
  7. make Starbucks a
  8. the new policy
  1. public bathroom
  2. to leave
  3. the same bathroom
  4. was good
  5. for a friend
  6. online
  7. handcuffs
  8. buying anything

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz (1) ___________________ anyone can enter one of Starbucks' 8,000 (2) ___________________ USA without buying anything. Starbucks (3) ___________________ everyone in the cafe as a customer. Mr Schultz said: "Any person (4) ___________________ spaces, including...restrooms, regardless of whether (5) ___________________ purchase, is considered a customer." People can now use Starbucks to sit down, (6) ___________________ the Internet.

The new rule will (7) ___________________ for cafe managers. In April, managers told customers to leave a cafe (8) ___________________ use the bathroom. Two black men were arrested (9) ___________________ waiting for a friend. A week later, a black man (10) ___________________ could not use the bathroom. He put a video online of a white man using the same bathroom (11) ___________________. Schultz said he didn't want to make Starbucks a public bathroom, but (12) ___________________ was good.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

StarbucksCEOHowardSchultzhasannouncedthatanyonecanenteron
eofStarbucks'8,000cafesintheUSAwithoutbuyinganything.Starbuck
sstaffmusttreateveryoneinthecafeasacustomer.MrSchultzsaid:"An
ypersonwhoentersourspaces,including...restrooms,regardlessofwh
ethertheymakeapurchase,isconsideredacustomer."Peoplecannowu
seStarbuckstositdown,relaxandusetheInternet.Thenewrulewillmak
elifeeasierforcafemanagers.InApril,managerstoldcustomerstoleave
acafeortonotusethebathroom.Twoblackmenwerearrestedinhandcuf
fsforwaitingforafriend.Aweeklater,ablackmanwastoldhecouldnotus
ethebathroom.Heputavideoonlineofawhitemanusingthesamebathr
oomwithoutbuyinganything.Schultzsaidhedidn'twanttomakeStarbu
cksapublicbathroom,butthenewpolicywasgood.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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