The Starbucks drink menu is getting an overhaul next week. The coffee chain will remove some of its less popular hot, cold and blended drinks starting March 4 in an effort to speed up service and lighten the load on baristas.
Big orders with complicated modifications have made it difficult for baristas to keep up, leading to dissatisfied customers and a decline in company sales, Bloomberg reported.
“As part of our plan to get back to Starbucks, we’re simplifying our menu to focus on fewer, more popular items, executed with excellence,” Starbucks told Today.com. “This will make way for innovation, help reduce wait times, improve quality and consistency, and align with our core identity as a coffee company.”
The decision is part of chief executive officer Brian Niccol’s overall goal to streamline company operations. In a letter to employees Monday, Niccol announced there will be layoffs for 1,100 global corporate employees. The layoffs won’t impact store baristas. “Our intent is to operate more efficiently, increase accountability, reduce complexity and drive better integration,” Niccol said in the letter.
These are the drinks being eighty-sixed, along with an alternative suggested by Starbucks:
❌ Iced Matcha Lemonade
➡️ Alternative: Iced Green Tea Lemonade, which has similar citrus and grassy flavors.
❌ Espresso Frappuccino and Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino
➡️ Alternative: Coffee Frappuccino, which is a blend of coffee, milk and ice. Customers can also add espresso or syrup.
❌ White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino
➡️ Alternative: Mocha Frappuccino.
❌ Java Chip Frappuccino
➡️ Alternative: Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, which also has little chocolate morsels with a similar texture.
❌ Chai Crème Frappuccino, Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino, Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino, Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino and White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino
➡️ Alternatives: Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino, which can have flavorings added, or Strawberry Crème Frappuccino.
❌ White Hot Chocolate
➡️ Alternative: Hot Chocolate can be customized with Mocha or White Chocolate Mocha sauce.
❌ Royal English Breakfast Latte
➡️ Alternative: London Fog Latte.
❌ Honey Almondmilk Flat White
➡️ Alternative: Flat White, which can be made with any nondairy milk and preferred sweetener.
Some additional changes in the works
Be prepared for even more drinks — and food items — to be nixed by the end of the fiscal year in September as the company strives to hit its goal of eliminating 30% of its U.S. menu.
Some elements of mobile ordering have also recently changed. A maximum of 12 items per order is now in place, down from 15. And the ability to customize certain items, like adding lemonade or milk to a Refresher, has been removed because those options are already on the menu.
Niccol has also pledged to improve the customer experience by getting back to the company’s coffeehouse roots and making stores feel cozier, with handwritten notes on cups and ceramic mugs for “to stay” orders.
