Starbucks' Free WiFi And Bathroom Access -- Generous Or Generous Helping Of Public Money For Starbucks?
Ross Marchand writes at FEE of the "Public Purpose Principle" -- how, in Starbucks' "opening its doors and Wi-Fi networks to non-customers," it gets a "two-for-one bump of positive public perception and the possibility of tax-funded subsidies":

In receiving public funds, perceptions of equal and open access are important. This plays into a much older legal principle known as the Public Purpose Principle, which grants state favoritism to private interests if a compelling public benefit exists. The Encyclopedia of the American Constitution notes that, throughout American history,

private businesses were given special privileges in promotion of drainage, wharf facilities, supply of water to urban centers, and transportation facilities, as the Ohio Supreme Court declared in 1836, "because the public has an interest in them."

Starbucks' provision of free bathrooms and Wi-Fi sets the company up to lobby for government privileges and taxpayer-financed construction or maintenance assistance. As Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation (TPAF) investigative reporter Johnny Kampis notes, large companies such as Google can reap sweetheart deals at taxpayer expense for rolling out public internet networks.

As a newly-christened provider of free Wi-Fi, Starbucks is now in a similarly advantageous position. And, municipalities have shown a willingness to subsidize public restrooms even if the primary beneficiary happens to be a private company.

Often, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to branding. In Starbucks' case, an "open-access" policy is just the latest foray by private enterprise into the smorgasbord of government favoritism. And, instead of altruism, opening up to the non-paying public could be a cynical attempt to receive more taxpayer subsidies.

Now, this is just a possibility Marchand's floating -- but, he points out, Starbucks is already slurping at the subsidy trough:

Starbucks already receives subsidies from taxpayers. The company's employee tuition program is only possible through a special arrangement with public universities such as Arizona State University (ASU), which offers a nearly 50 percent tuition discount for qualified employees. ASU receives more than $300 million from state taxpayers, meaning that this "special arrangement" is at least partly financed by taxpayers.