The new CEO of Starbucks said Thursday that his company is prepared in the event that unrest breaks out around the election next week.
Brian Niccol, who took over at the top of the coffee giant last month, was asked in a CNBC interview if he’d to make precautionary plans. Squawk Box co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin told Niccol in the interview that he knows of leaders at other businesses—especially those that are customer-facing or involve making deliveries—who have to have plans in place in case there is unrest.
“We always have security monitoring what’s going on at all our stores,” Niccol said. “Our partner safety and customer safety is really important. Fortunately for us, we already have all these systems in place that in the event something happens, we’re prepared. And we’ll make sure we keep everybody safe.”
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Earlier in the interview, Sorkin described Starbucks as having been a “political target” in the U.S. in the past and wanted to ask Niccol if he had “any concerns” for his stores around the Nov. 5 vote.
“Next week, we get to see America execute democracy,” Niccol answered, using arguably the most alarming verb choice ambiguity possible. “I think that is one of the greatest gifts we all have and a responsibility that we all have.”
Something that’s special about the U.S., Niccol continued, is “the transition of leadership” that occurs in elections.
“I’m optimistic that we’re going to get through this perfectly fine,” he said. “Hopefully there is not the unrest that people are speculating. I believe in the democratic process and I really do hope people get out and vote, and I really do hope people respect what America’s all about—which is we have the right to go vote and follow through on our democratic commitments as a government and a country.”
“I’m an optimistic person, Andrew,” he added. “So I’m going to believe in the good of people and that we’re going to get through this just fine.”
