The menu options at Starbucks have long divided customer opinion, with some people loving the long list of complicated and customizable drink options, some of which don’t contain a single drop of coffee or even tea. Others feel that as the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, Starbucks should focus more on, well, coffee.
It seems that the latter camp has won out, sort of. Last month, Starbucks announced that it would remove over a dozen menu items that were underperforming or were too complicated and time-consuming to prepare, leading to dissatisfied customers waiting in long lines. Some of these items are “crème” Frappuccinos, such as the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino, Chai Crème Frappuccino, and Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino. White Hot Chocolate, Royal English Breakfast Latte, and Iced Matcha Lemonade were also among the drinks that disappeared on March 4th.
The company plans to continue paring down the menu, with around 30% of menu items disappearing by the end of 2025. It’s part of a broader initiative known as “Back to Starbucks,” which was launched by new CEO Brian Niccol last year to bring back the “old” Starbucks, with a greater emphasis on customer service and creating a welcoming cafe environment, once again becoming a "third place" for people to read, work on their laptops, meet for job interviews, go on dates, and catch up with friends.
Back to basics?
- Other changes include the return of the condiment bar for adding your own milk and sweetener. Baristas are being encouraged to write and doodle on cups, though at the same time, ceramic cups will be used more regularly in cafes instead of paper. Starbucks is also doing away with the upcharge on non-dairy milks and offering free refills of brewed coffee and tea available to all customers.
- Starbucks points to its new espresso-based beverage, the Cortado, as evidence that it’s returning to its coffee roots. The Cortado, which was introduced in January and contains three ristretto shots, has already become a popular offering. However, anyone who has visited a Starbucks recently (or seen a commercial) knows that the company still has plenty of drinks that aren’t exactly traditional coffeehouse beverages: the seasonal Iced Cherry Chai and the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha spring to mind.
- The Seattle-based chain, which was founded nearly 54 years ago, has been struggling with declining sales and record coffee bean prices. Starbucks corporate employees are also feeling the squeeze, with 1,100 people laid off last month out of a total of 16,000.
