“Please no entry for ladies only send your driver to order thank you,” read a sign outside a Starbucks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The law in Saudi Arabia requires families and single people to have separate entrances. After a wall separating the entrances fell down, the store decided to only accommodate single men. After the sign went viral, French activists spoke out and some are even boycotting Starbucks.
Starbucks issued a statement to CNN that says, “At Starbucks, we adhere to the local customs of Saudi Arabia by providing separate entrances for families as well as single people. In addition, all our stores provide equal amenities, service, menu, and seating to men, women and families. We are working as quickly as possible as we refurbish our Jarir store so that we may again welcome all customers in accordance with local customs.”
Starbucks then announced that they obtained permission to refurbish the store in Jarir that previously did not have a gender wall.
“This was the only such Starbucks store in Saudi Arabia. During construction, the store could only accommodate and serve single men, and a poster was placed at the store entrance as required by local law.”
Women are now able to access the store as well as the 77 others in Saudi Arabia. One store is even reserved exclusively for women and families.
This situation just shows that you should always check out viral internet memes yourself before you jump on a bandwagon—There might be another side to the story!