Read Starbucks CEO's Response To Philadelphia Arrest Incident

PHILADELPHIA – After the arrest of two black men in a Center City Philadelphia Starbucks put the coffee company in the national spotlight Thursday, April 12, the company's CEO has issued a statement addressing the incident.

CEO Kevin Johnson called the outcome of Thursday's incident at the 18th and Spruce street store "reprehensible." The full statement is included below.

The two black men were arrested, but ultimately not charged, after a worker at the store called police when the men wouldn't leave and had not ordered anything.

>>>RELATED: Protests After 2 Black Men Arrested At Philadelphia Starbucks

The arrest scene was captured on camera by some customers, drawing ire from the community, Mayor Jim Kenney, and even celebrities such as Kevin Hart.

>>>RELATED: Starbucks Manager Who Called Cops On Black Men Leaves Store

The men said they were waiting for a friend in the store.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the arresting officers did nothing wrong but also said they did not want to make the arrests.

Below is Johnson's statement in full:

Dear Starbucks Partners and Customers:

By now, you may be aware of a disheartening situation in one of our Philadelphia-area stores this past Thursday, that led to a reprehensible outcome.

I’m writing this evening to convey three things:

First, to once again express our deepest apologies to the two men who were arrested with a goal of doing whatever we can to make things right. Second, to let you know of our plans to investigate the pertinent facts and make any necessary changes to our practices that would help prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again. And third, to reassure you that Starbucks stands firmly against discrimination or racial profiling.

In the coming days, I will be joining our regional vice president, Camille Hymes—who is on the ground in Philadelphia—to speak with partners, customers and community leaders as well as law enforcement. Most importantly, I hope to meet personally with the two men who were arrested to offer a face-to-face apology.

We have immediately begun a thorough investigation of our practices. In addition to our own review, we will work with outside experts and community leaders to understand and adopt best practices. The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks Mission and Values. Creating an environment that is both safe and welcoming for everyone is paramount for every store. Regretfully, our practices and training led to a bad outcome—the basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong. Our store manager never intended for these men to be arrested and this should never have escalated as it did.

We also will further train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted. Additionally, we will host a company-wide meeting next week to share our learnings, discuss some immediate next steps and underscore our long-standing commitment to treating one another with respect and dignity. I know our store managers and partners work hard to exceed our customers’ expectations every day—which makes this very poor reflection on our company all the more painful.

Finally, to our partners who proudly wear the green apron and to customers who come to us for a sense of community every day: You can and should expect more from us. We will learn from this and be better.

Respectfully,

Kevin Johnson

ceo

Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images