Yet Another Reason To Never Set Foot In Starbucks

As if the overpriced costs for a cup of burned coffee wasn't reason enough for people to stop thinking about setting foot inside Starbucks, Starbucks across New York City are closing their restrooms to the public and it's hit or miss as to whether you can find an available public restroom in those locations.

While the shift in bathroom availability is "not a stated policy" of the Starbucks company, the source tells the Post that it is still effectively happening: “They are not eliminating bathrooms, but feeling the pressure of more people...If you are a tourist, you will not know which Starbucks has a bathroom,” the source said. But don't panic! There are still plenty of other options to get your businesses done, from public restroom treasure maps to social networking bathroom apps, from the Guggeneheim to the fine facilities at Bryant Park.

Update: Starbucks has tweeted in response to the story, which has now also been picked up by the NY Times: "hey, we're not closing public bathrooms at all, that's not true." We've contacted Starbucks directly for comment, but as was stated in the original Post piece, "reducing the number of public johns is 'not a stated policy.'"

Starbucks has 196 locations throughout New York City, but many are in Manhattan. The City has relatively few public restrooms, so finding free restrooms that are located in accessible restaurants and stores is key, particularly in Lower Manhattan where there is a major lack of facilities.

It will be several years before the WTC complex has public restrooms available for visitors to the WTC memorial and WTC museum, and there's several heavily patronized Starbucks in the vicinity.