Starbucks’ relatively new CEO, Brian Niccol, is making good on his commitment to simplify the coffee chain’s menu by revealing that nearly a third of menu items are slated for the chopping block.
Niccol, who has been with Starbucks for just five months, said that despite the planned menu reduction, the company will still monitor and adjust beverage and food offerings based on customer trends and preferences.
“In the coming months, you’ll see us begin to optimize our menu offerings, resulting in a roughly 30% reduction in both beverages and food SKUs by the end of fiscal year 2025,” Niccol said on an earnings call, per Fox.
Earlier this month, The Dallas Express reported that Starbucks introduced a new stricter code of conduct for its locations in North America. Under the new rules, non-paying customers can no longer use restrooms or loiter in their cafes. At the same time, paying customers can now obtain free refills of hot or iced coffee in ceramic mugs or reusable glasses.
These moves are all part of Niccol’s vision to revive the chains’ former “coffee house” aesthetic.
“I stopped going to Starbucks when they stopped being a coffee place. I don’t need to wait in line while somebody orders a hand-made avocado toast with a sprinkle of garlic salt,” wrote one commenter on Fox.
In terms of food and beverage choices, Niccol plans to simplify what he calls an “overly complex menu.” The changes are designed to align Starbucks with its roots and separate mobile order pickups from the core café experience.
“We’ve been focused on simplifying our menu to position partners for success, improve consistency, drive customer satisfaction, and enhance our economics… As part of this work, we made some late simplifications to our holiday product lineup and believe we have more opportunities ahead as we follow a disciplined stage-gate process to innovate and bring to market fewer better beverage and food offerings that reflect our premium positioning,” Niccol’s said on the earnings call.
This week also marked the return of condiment bars at Starbucks. The ability for customers to add their own cream and sugar was removed during the COVID-19 pandemic government mandates and is only now returning under Niccol’s leadership. The coffee chain is also reverting to using more coffee mugs and glasses for items enjoyed in-store.