A disabled man has to regularly wait outside his local Starbucks for up to 10 minutes because he can not open the door.

Charlston (Charlie) Wallace lives on St Mary’s Island in Chatham and has mobility issues and a tumour in his leg.

He has been visiting the Starbucks store at Chatham Dockside, close to his home, for more than five years.

The 35-year-old said he was often forced to wait outside because he couldn’t open the heavy door himself, and staff weren’t always aware he was there.

He said: “I’ve been coming here five, six years and it’s always been the same.

“The doors are just too heavy. I use a wheelchair or scooter, and sometimes I just sit outside waiting, hoping someone sees me.”

Charlie lives with a tumour in his right knee, which, as he was told by his doctors, “is eating away at the bone.”

He also has no hip on his left side due to slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), a childhood condition that caused his hip to deteriorate.

He said: “If I try to push that door, I could fall or injure myself.

“My doctors told me not to put pressure on the leg at all.”

Asked if he has the same problem with other coffee shops in Dockside, Charlie denied it.

He said: “Costa has a button I can press to automatically open the door, but I prefer Starbucks drinks.

“I come here a lot. It’s part of my routine. I’m not asking for much – just a door I can get through like everyone else.”

When a KentOnline reporter met Charlie outside the store, she observed him waiting almost ten minutes for someone to let him in.

She also witnessed several other customers, including a woman with a pram, a man using crutches, and an elderly couple, also struggling with the door.

He praised the Starbucks staff for being kind and often helping when they noticed him, but said there is no way to alert them from outside.

He added: “There’s no button, no bell, nothing. The staff are lovely, but they can’t always see me.”

The cafe opened in 2016 and sits underneath TruGym in Dock Head Road.

On Starbucks’ website, is gives a commitment to inclusion and accessibility statement which reads: “We’re committed to upholding a culture where inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility are valued and respected. Together with our community partners, we are increasing accessibility resources and supporting the development of evolving employer practices on access and disability inclusion.”

In Februar 2024, the brand launched an Inclusive Spaces Framework which will help them make sure all new stores “are expanding accessibility in the store experience across its store portfolio”.

Charlie said he contacted Starbucks customer service several times.

He said: “I was offered some vouchers and loyalty points, but that didn’t fix the issue. I don’t need vouchers when I can’t even get inside.

“It feels like I’m being discriminated against. I just want to have my coffee.”

On October 2, he received a generic message from a Starbucks representative, but said the company still hadn’t confirmed whether any changes would be made to improve access.

After KentOnline contacted Starbucks for comment, the company confirmed that Charlie had now been contacted directly and issued an apology.

A spokesperson said: “We want our coffee houses to be warm and welcoming environments for everyone to be able to enjoy the Starbucks experience, and we work hard to ensure these are accessible.

“We're working with our licensee partner to find a solution to this particular issue and we're sorry that our initial response to Charlie wasn't what it should have been.

“We've reached out to apologise directly and we hope to see them in store again soon.”