At a corporate level there was an open bathroom policy instituted a few years back [0]. I’m not aware of that changing but I’m also not surprised that a local outlet might not comply with that policy.

0: https://people.com/food/starbucks-bathroom-policy-change-arr...

I’ve only seen this in areas with a bit of a homeless issue. Even then just ask the barista for the code.

You can always say you’re waiting for a phone order. But I can’t say I’ve ever been asked.

I went to a bar to use the bathroom and ordered an orange juice. The orange juice made me want to pee again in the NY train and had a nightmare on the way home. You can guess what happened lol

How recently did you check? There was a debacle in the past year or two and I think the policy changed.