Starbucks to cut 13 drinks from menu amid restructuring
Starbucks cuts 13 drinks from menu, streamlining operations and improving service, with more reductions expected in coming months.
Straight Arrow News
Starbucks wants to brew up a more comfortable environment with additional seating, plentiful power outlets and free coffee refills.
The coffee chain has also recently simplified and refreshed its menu to “help reduce wait times, improve quality and consistency, and align with our core identity as a coffee company,” Starbucks told USA TODAY in a statement last month. Earlier this year, the company also reversed its open-door policy regarding restrooms, now requiring people order something from the menu to use the restroom or hang out in the store.
All of these adjustments are part of the “Back to Starbucks” strategy, instituted by Brian Niccol, the former Chipotle CEO who left to become Starbucks’ chief executive in September 2024.
“We’re working hard to ensure our coffeehouses have the right vibe,” Niccol said Wednesday during a meeting with shareholders. “We want to invite customers in, showcase our great coffee, provide a comfortable place to stay, and make them feel like their visit was time well spent.”
Starbucks wants to regain its ‘third place’ status
The idea of Starbucks as a “third place,” a destination beyond home and work, isn’t new; it’s a philosophy also touted by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. However, the expansion of mobile ordering and grab and go pickup has made coffee shops sometimes feel more like a waystation.
Starbucks hopes to strengthen and regain its connection with customers. “I’m happy to say the third place is alive and well. It’s as needed as it ever was,” Niccol said. “We’re working hard to ensure our coffee houses have the right vibe. We want to invite customers in, showcase our great coffee, provide a comfortable place to stay, and make them feel like their visit was time well spent.
For instance, Starbucks is testing new store designs at “select locations across the U.S.,” Niccol said. At the same time, stores have brought back condiment bars and serving in-store coffee in ceramic mugs, as well as having baristas write on cups with Sharpies, he said.
“Imagine coffee houses that are comfortable and warm with expanded seating options, power outlets, and abundant food displays,” he said. “Stores with more separation between the café and mobile order experience, featuring new risers and dedicated pickup shelves in select locations to create an intuitive handoff, and cafes anchored by a redesigned espresso bar that adds a sense of theater to the experience and enhances the connection between our baristas and our customers.”
The company is also setting a goal of delivering “a high-quality beverage in four minutes or less with a moment of connection,” Niccol said.
‘Back to Starbucks’ strategy ‘gaining traction’
Niccol is looking to turn a sales tide at the coffee houses. Starbucks reported comparable sales down 2% in the U.S. and worldwide in the 2024 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 29, 2024. And global comparable sales fell 4% in the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, which ended Dec. 29, 2024, the company reported.
Starbucks isn’t alone in seeing a year-over-year decline in visitation trends in February, said R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, which estimates visits to locations by tracking millions of devices and using machine learning. That trend has hit many restaurants “amid economic uncertainty and unfavorable weather conditions,” he said.
But Starbucks’ efforts may be working, Hottovy said. “Foot traffic has improved compared to the declines seen last summer, indicating that elements of the ‘Back to Starbucks’ strategy and improving the in-store experience are gaining traction,” he said.
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