Starbucks to reopen as many Canadian stores as possible by end of May — with restrictions

Starbucks plans to reopen as many of its Canadian stores as possible between now and the end of May, the company announced this week.

Provincial bans on in-room dining remain in place.

For now, the stores will only offer drive-thru, delivery and pickup service, as has been the case at its locations that didn't close due to COVID-19, said Starbucks Canada President Lori Digulla in a letter to stores.

"Our open stores have helped us learn so much," Digulla wrote.

She said drive-thru, delivery and takeout orders have increased "substantially," and customer orders are larger than what the company experienced before COVID-19.

Digulla said the company will monitor and adjust operations as needed as more stores resume operations throughout May.

She said decisions to open more stores or expand services will be made on a community-by-community basis, "working closely with local leadership, health authorities and provincial governments as the environment and regulations change."

The announcement from Starbucks comes as a number of provincial governments announced plans this week to gradually lift restrictions that came into effect to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Digulla said the company has developed a "data-rich dashboard" to help make decisions on when and where to reopen stores across the country. The dashboard includes government data on confirmed cases and COVID-19 trends.

Mandatory measures previously announced for Starbucks staff will remain in place, including face coverings for in-store staff, taking temperatures before shifts and extra cleaning precautions.

The company said it will also continue to pay "catastrophe pay" through to June 14 for employees who are self-isolating or may have COVID-19 symptoms, those whose store is closed, and those who can't work due to child-care obligations.

Jacques Gallant is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @JacquesGallant