You think I'm hiding details? Do you live in a country that blocks internet access to certain sites? I have as much access to information on this incident as as you do. You seem a lot more interested, so you probably have more info than me.
It's kind of weird that you think you know better than the Starbucks CEO about how this should've been handled.
My approach would have been to ask the customers if they intended to order. I would not have assumed they were just sitting there with no intent to order. But, you're right, I've never worked at a Starbucks.