- Starbucks is in the middle of a turnaround effort.
- The coffee chain is making changes aimed at improving sales.
- Here are the biggest shifts, from more free refills to the end of Starbucks’ open-door policy.
Starbucks began 2025 with some big changes.
The coffee chain has announced a number of shifts, including many at its cafés, since CEO Brian Niccol took the helm in September.
It’s trying to win back customers after recent earnings reports showed Starbucks’ sales slipping, both in the US and globally.
The turnaround attempt arrived at Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle this week as Starbucks laid off 1,100 corporate employees, a move that Niccol said would create “smaller, more nimble teams.”
Changes had already arrived at Starbucks stores, and more are on the way. Here are the biggest ones that Starbucks has discussed over the last few months:
Starbucks is trimming 30% of its menu items
Starbucks plans to cut almost a third of its menu items by the end of its fiscal year in September, Niccol said last month.
Among the early cuts are 13 beverages, including several kinds of frappuccinos. Many of the drinks are complicated for Starbucks baristas to make and were not selling well.
Starbucks might ask customers to schedule pick-up times
Starbucks currently gives customers an estimated wait time when they open the chain’s app and place an order for pick-up.
But that could change. Starbucks customers often get to the store well after baristas have prepared their drink, CEO Niccol told the Wall Street Journal this month.
Instead, Niccol said that Starbucks is looking at giving customers some say in when they pick up their order — a move that could make its mobile operations more efficient.
Baristas are writing personalized messages on cups
Starbucks now directs store employees to write hand-written notes on disposable to-go cups for customers. Those can include simple messages, such as “You’re amazing,” as well as smiley faces and other art, according to a memo Starbucks sent store employees in January.
The change is meant to make Starbucks “a welcoming coffeehouse,” a company spokesperson said last month. Niccol has said he wants Starbucks employees to connect more with customers.
Starbucks is using more ceramic cups to fill orders
Starbucks started using ceramic mugs as the default for serving beverages that customers order “for here” in January. The chain also offers reusable plates and silverware for food orders that customers eat in-store.
Niccol said last month that the “for-here ware” is meant to make Starbucks stores more attractive places to hang out.
The mugs, plates, and cutlery tell customers that “this is a spot where I can slow down, take a minute, whether I’m connecting with others or just taking a minute for myself,” Niccol said on the company’s earnings call in January.
Starbucks requires a purchase to hang out there
Starbucks visitors now have to order something or be with someone who does in order to hang out at one of the chain’s stores. The new policy took effect on January 27.
The coffee chain confirmed the change on January 13. It replaced the previous open-door policy, which Starbucks implemented after two Black men were arrested in 2018 after one asked to use the bathroom at a Philadelphia store without buying anything.
The new policy, part of the “Coffeehouse Code of Conduct,” is meant to “prioritize our paying customers who want to sit and enjoy our cafés or need to use the restroom during their visit,” a Starbucks spokesperson told Business Insider.
Starbucks is offering free refills to more patrons
Last month, Starbucks started allowing all customers, not just members of the chain’s rewards program, to get free refills on many brewed coffees and teas.
Customers can get the refills by using a clean reusable cup of their own or an in-house ceramic one provided by the chain. They also have to order their drinks in-store, and refills are only available on a beverage during a single visit.
Starbucks’ self-serve condiment bars are returning
Starbucks said last year that it would bring back self-service condiment bars in early 2025.
The change means customers will have to add their own milk, sugar, and other condiments to their drinks instead of relying on baristas to do it behind the counter. It will cut the time it takes baristas to serve hot cups of coffee, Niccol said on an earnings call in October.
Rewards members are getting fewer promotions through the app
The days of plentiful buy-one-get-one-free Frappuccino deals appear to be over.
Starbucks has been cutting back the number of promotions that it has offered rewards members through its app, the Wall Street Journal reported in October. It’s part of a push to make the coffee chain feel more upscale, the Journal reported at the time.
The change was welcomed by some baristas, who previously said that they were overwhelmed when customers used the Starbucks mobile app to order multiple drinks at once, including through deals such as four beverages for $20.
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