Starbucks is testing a new, more accessible store design

Starbucks is testing a new, more accessible store design

Starbucks is testing out a new store format designed to give customers with disabilities a more “accessible” experience in its cafe.

On Feb. 16, the coffee company opened its first shop designed with “Inclusive Spaces Framework.” The new shop, located in Washington, D.C, features a number of accommodations, including improved lighting for visually impaired customers and post-of-sale systems with larger screens.

In a press release, Starbucks announced all of its newly built and renovated company-owned stores will incorporate the inclusive format. While partner stores – such as the shops located inside of other retailers- may not initially incorporate the new format, the coffee chain noted the framework will be open-sourced to help expand accessibility across the retail industry.

“Starbucks opening of their new store built with inclusive design elements is a big moment as we try to make retail spaces more accessible and inclusive,” Tony Coelho, primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, said in the same release. “We have to go beyond just what is required to put accessibility and inclusion first to ensure all people feel like they belong in community spaces.”

In recent years, more retailers have started addressing the shopping experiences of patrons with different needs, reports CNN. A number of those protocols include accommodations for elderly and neurodiverse customers.