The two black men arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks last week said they will meet with the company’s CEO, as protesters gathered at the coffee shop for a second day Monday to demand that the store manager who called police be fired. The demonstration at the coffee chain's Rittenhouse Square location, where the men were arrested, grew so intense that the store was closed, [CNN reported](https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/16/us/philadelphia-police-starbucks-arrest-protests/index.html). Video of the [protests](https://twitter.com/6abcJeannette/status/985852600246591488) and the [arrests](https://twitter.com/missydepino/status/984539713016094721) of the two unidentified men spread widely on social media, sparking the Twitter hashtag [#BoycottStarbucks](https://twitter.com/hashtag/boycottstarbucks?lang=en). The coffee chain's chief executive, Kevin Johnson, traveled to Philadelphia from Starbucks' Seattle headquarters to "offer a face-to-face apology" to the two men. It's unclearwhen Johnson will meet with the men. Over the weekend, Johnson had issued a public apology and called the incident “reprehensible.” “Starbucks stands firmly against discrimination,” he said in a [statement](https://news.starbucks.com/views/starbucks-ceo-reprehensible-outcome-in-philadelphia-incident?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=springfy18), adding the company would investigate the incident and “make any necessary changes” to the company’s practices in order to avoid similar situations in the future. The store manager is no longer working at that store, a company spokesperson Jaime Riley told [CNN](http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/16/news/companies/starbucks-ceo-apology/index.html), although it is unclear if she was let go. The men, yet unidentified, were arrested last Thursday when the store manager, who is white, called police to say that they were trespassing. The men said they were at the Starbucks shop waiting for a third friend. When one of the men asked to use the toilet, a store employee refused because the men hadn’t bought anything, which violates Starbucks's policy. The men were asked to leave before the manager called the police. The men were released after Starbucks decided not to press charges, according to [Philadelphia Commissioner Richard Ross.](https://www.facebook.com/phillypolice/videos/10155712644170910/) The city's mayor said an apology was insufficient and said he would refer the issue to Philadelphia's Commission on Human Relations to examine Starbucks' policies and employee training. ""I am heartbroken to see Philadelphia in the headlines for an incident that — at least based on what we know at this point — appears to exemplify what racial discrimination looks like in 2018," said Mayor Jim Kelly in [a statement](https://beta.phila.gov/2018-04-14-mayors-statement-on-incident-at-starbucks-in-center-city/) Saturday.

Share:
More In Business
Stretching Your Dollar: Preparing for Open Enrollment
It's almost that time of year - it's open enrollment season. Nate Black, vice president of health solutions product development with Voya Financial, joined Cheddar News to explain the critical decision-making needed when choosing the best coverage for you and your family.
The New Subscription Plan for X
Elon Musk announced two new subscription tiers for people who want the premium experience. This, as some users in some countries may have to pay a very small fee to access the platform for more. Cheddar News' senior reporter Michelle Castillo explains.
Rite Aid to Close Over 100 Stores
Rite Aid is set to close more than 100 stores with efforts currently underway to try to sell dozens of stores across a dozen states.
Load More