What Is The Policy at Starbucks?

About a week ago two African-American men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, PA. while a video was taken of the police removing them from the store.  The two men were waiting to meet someone for a meeting and had refused to buy anything in the store and the manager asked them to leave and they refused. When the police arrived they also asked them to leave and they refused which led to the arrest.

Protests  began almost immediately when the video went viral and the police and Starbucks have both apologized for the incident.  Starbucks will be closing all of their stores in the United States in the near future for sensitivity training.  The easy explanation of what happened is that the store manager made a racist decision and the two men were mistreated, but is that what really happened?

I don't drink coffee and I believe only one time did I buy something in a Starbucks,(a business meeting) although I've delivered magazines to them many times.  But, as a manager for many years and as someone who has interviewed dozens of people over the years in fast food restaurants, I'm not sure I understand what the policy is these days in a place like Starbucks.

When I would meet someone I did not know in a fast food place to interview them, the first thing I did was go in and buy something and sit down at a table. Since it's not a library, I never considered just walking in and sitting down.  I have seen people at Starbucks with a book or a laptop, but aren't they paying customers? I really don't know.

According to an article in "The Washington Post", Starbucks said that non-paying customers are asked to leave.  The article also said that one of the arrested men asked the manager if he could use the bathroom and was told it was only for paying customers.  I know there are many places that have signs that say that, is that the policy at Starbucks.(If not, why would he ask the manager for permission?)

This did happen in Philadelphia, PA and not Billings, Montana. Hasn't this happened before? It cant' be the first time, is it.  And, if a police officer asks you to leave a store, how do you not do it? The article said that the police were unaware of the policy at Starbucks, I don't think they are the only ones.