On Friday, the VP of Marketing and company spokesperson for Tully’s Coffee, Scott Earle returned Wallyhood’s request for information about the Nov 22 robbery at the store’s Wallingford location. In an official statement, he said that two weeks ago an individual entered Tully’s Coffee at 2100 N 45th St, claiming to have a weapon and demanded the money in the till.
Earle said that staff handled the situation well and according to protocol. “From our standpoint, we never want to have a situation that puts our employees and customers in a bad situation,” he said. “We’re very happy with how this was handled.”
The store is taking additional safety precautions as a result. In order to create just one point of entrance past dark, they will now lock the back door and only allow customers to enter through the front (well-lit) entrance in the evenings. Earle said that some customers might find this change inconvenient, as many people park in the back parking lot, but that this will create a safer environment for both patrons and staff.
Earle stressed that this was an isolated incident. To his knowledge, such a situation is unprecedented at this location. “We don’t want to make a big deal out of this,” said Earle. The last thing Tully’s wants is for their customers to feel unsafe in their stores, he said.