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The Starbucks, which recently opened on Belmont Street, will close the dining room between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays during the school year.
A new Starbucks location in Brockton will close its dining room after school to avoid congregating teens from the local high school, Brockton police told school officials earlier this month.
Brockton police Lieutenant Paul Bonanca, a liaison to the school police, told the Brockton School Committee that there have been “some issues” in the past with students at local businesses near Brockton High School, particularly along Belmont Street.
The Starbucks opened a few weeks ago down the street from the school, a spokesperson for the Seattle-based coffee chain told Boston.com.
Bonanca told Committee members that he met with local management of the Starbucks, who decided to “close between the hours of 1 and 3 when the kids get out just because when kids congregate the areas that are closest to the high school, it seems to be more of a concentrated area of those that congregate.”
He said that the drive-thru at the new Starbucks at 863 Belmont Street will still be open. The Starbucks spokesperson clarified that they are only closing their dining room between 1:30 p.m and 3 p.m. on weekdays during the school year. Customers can still come inside and order but can’t sit at their tables.
The Starbucks spokesperson said this has been the chain’s hours since opening.
“This isn’t a change,” the spokesperson said. “Our local operators are empowered to make those decisions.” They did not comment on whether or not the decision was due to the presence of high school students.
Mayor: Starbucks ‘should be fully open’
Mayor Robert Sullivan, who was present at the Committee meeting Aug. 6, told Boston.com in a statement that he was “unaware” that the new Starbucks planned to close their dining room. He said he wants to meet with the store’s management and Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez to address the closure.
“This wonderful new business addition, located in a busy section of our City, should be fully open daily during all business hours,” Sullivan said. “Together I am hopeful that we will find a collaborative solution to support this merchant and to ensure safety for the workers and the customers.”
The Starbucks is a 40 minute walk or a five minute drive from Brockton High School, where violence escalated among students over the past year. In February, some school officials asked Governor Maura Healey to send in the National Guard.
While Healey refused, dozens of teachers and staff told the School Committee that it’s increasingly difficult to control the students. One staff member said in February she was trampled by a crowd rushing to see a fight, and another teacher was injured in a fight in March.
At the same School Committee meeting earlier this month, the new Interim Superintendent Priya Tahiliani introduced the school’s inaugural security director, who will help improve school safety.
Nearby McDonald’s also reportedly locks its doors and lets in one customer at a time during after school hours, WBZ reported, but the restaurant chain didn’t return a request for comment Wednesday.
Brockton Public Schools declined to comment on the local business’s decision.
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