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☆ Starbucks' new CEO wants people to hang out in stores, but some workers say his plan has a big problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Workers say they're struggling with mobile ordersEven former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in a May LinkedIn post that current Starbucks leadership should "reinvent the mobile ordering and payment platform." "We believe a visit to Starbucks should be effortless and delightful, whether ordering through the Starbucks app or at our stores." Still, some workers — whom the company calls "partners" — have pointed to issues with the mobile ordering system in interviews with BI. Starbucks' rewards program is a big driver of all those digital orders, a partner at a Starbucks store in South Dakota told BI. "They deserve to have that moment where things are corrected and they're leaving happy, but we can't deliver on it always," the partner told BI.

Persons: Brian Niccol, —, Hottovy, Howard Schultz, Niccol Organizations: Starbucks, Business, Service, Workers, LinkedIn, BI Locations: North Carolina, South Dakota, Florida

☆ Starbucks customers say wait times have gotten really long, so I went to check it out
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wait times at Starbucks have gotten long, with some customers waiting nearly 30 minutes. I visited three Washington, DC-area Starbucks stores to see how bad the waits were. Wait times at the coffee chains' stores have gotten close to half an hour, Business Insider previously reported. It's a problem that Brian Niccol, who joined Starbucks as CEO earlier this month, will have to deal with. I also wanted to try different ways of ordering: Multiple Starbucks employees — or "partners," as the chain calls them — have told me that drive-thru wait times are one of the most important metrics their managers track.

Persons: Brian Niccol, —, Niccol Organizations: Starbucks, Service Locations: Washington, DC

☆ Starbucks' system to make ordering better isn't the solution the company hoped for, an employee says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But one employee — or "partner," as Starbucks calls them — at a store that adopted the Siren Craft System earlier this year told Business Insider that the system isn't as effective as Starbucks has portrayed. The Siren Craft System is supposed to free up time that partners can devote to customer service and improving their coffee-making skills, Starbucks said in July. "Unless it's insanely slow, there's no time at any time of day to practice latte art or make samples for customers," the employee who has used the Siren Craft System said. The Siren Craft System is just Starbucks' latest effort to shorten wait times and improve operations at its stores. But now, the Siren System reserves one blender for frappuccinos and the other for Refreshers.

Persons: —, baristas, Laxman Narasimhan, Brian Niccol, Niccol, we've, Thomas Organizations: Service, Starbucks, Business, BI, Siren, System, Siren System Locations: Plano , Texas

☆ 8-year-old girl takes car on 25-minute joyride to Target
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Samantha Kubota | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

An 8-year-old Ohio girl is home safe after she took her mother’s car and drove to Target 25 minutes away as her family and police searched for her. They reported that the 8-year-old was last seen by the family nearly two hours earlier. The Bainbridge Target is just over 11 miles southwest of the child’s home, according to the police report. Officers found the girl inside of the Target and her family came to pick her and the car up. “Not sure what she bought or if she was even able to use her Target app to save 5%,” Bedford Police Dept.

Persons: TODAY.com, “, ” Organizations: Bedford Police Department, . Police, Google, Target, Facebook, ”, ” Bedford Police Locations: Ohio, Bainbridge, ” Bedford

☆ Starbucks Reinvented How It Runs Its Cafés to Cut Down on Wait Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Called the "Siren Craft System," it overhauls the workflow at some 10,000 of its coffeehouses in an effort to reduce inefficiency, speed up orders, and boost customer satisfaction. Every fast-food outlet, Starbucks cafés included, is a little factory. The new system instructs baristas to push cold drinks down in the queue in favor of hot ones. But the fact is, the cold drinks also take longer to make. The higher-grossing cold drinks take so long to make, in fact, that they're actually pretty low-margin.

Persons: you've, overachievers, Siren Craft, cranking, Michelle Eisen, baristas, they're, Craft, it's, They'll, It's, Eisen, Adam Rogers Organizations: —, Dutch Bros, Starbucks, Boeing, Google, Business Locations: America, Wells Fargo

☆ Starbucks' Howard Schultz talks Steve Jobs screaming at him and wishing he'd trademarked the latte in a new podcast
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Starbucks didn't sell its own coffee early on"When Starbucks opened in Pike Place Market in 1971, they were using Peet's Coffee. Howard Shultz is going to acquire Starbucks Coffee Company, and he's never going to hear from you again." Together the trio made the "huge decision" to sell Starbucks coffee in Costco, which sparked a "revolt inside the halls of Starbucks," Schultz said. Related storiesThe former Starbucks CEO faced similar blowback when he agreed to let United Airlines serve his company's coffee. "We're not a beverage company serving coffee, we are a coffee company serving people.

Persons: —, Howard Schultz, Schultz, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Costco's, Bernard Arnault, Lavazza, I've, Samuel Stroum, it's, Howard Shultz, he's, Brian Ach, latte, Jeff Brotman, Jim Sinegal, they've, Coke, Pepsi, Steve, Justin Sullivan, Blackstone, Alexandre, Louis Vuitton, Alexandre Arnault, Donato Sardella, Louis Organizations: Service, Starbucks, Business, Pepsi, Microsoft, Starbucks Coffee Company, Costco, United Airlines, Starbucks Facebook, Staff, Getty, Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton Locations: Coke, Pike, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, America, Costco, Atlanta, New York, Apple's, California, Mobile, Italy, Milan

☆ YOLO is dying. That could be bad news for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —YOLO economy, meet the “yo, no” economy. In what was dubbed the YOLO economy (short for “you only live once”), or revenge spending, consumers shelled out for the experiences and goods they had missed. And that may be bad news for the economy. “We are monitoring the issue and engaging with market participants,” a spokesperson for the Securities and Exchange Commission told CNN. Joe Saluzzi, co-founder of Themis Trading, told CNN that the NYSE’s explanation is hard to square with the bizarre trades that hit the tape.

Persons: “ Covid, doesn’t, ” Sameer Samana, “, There’s, ”, that’s, Taylor Swift, It’s, Dow, Jerome Powell, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, Joe Saluzzi, Themis Trading, I’m, Saluzzi, ” Read, Matt Egan, Keith Gill —, ” —, Read, Anna Cooban Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Wells, Investment Institute, Walmart, Target, Employers, TSA, Federal Reserve, New York Stock Exchange, The New York Stock Exchange, ” Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE, ICE, CNN, NYSE Group, Consolidated, CTA, Berkshire Hathaway’s, Berkshire, Securities and Exchange Commission, Themis, GameStop, AMC Entertainment Locations: New York, YOLO, Samana, “, Berkshire

☆ Harvard-trained neuroscientist with 20+ years experience: 7 tricks I use to keep my memory sharp
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Lisa Genova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

See itWhen you create a mental image of what you're trying to remember, you add more neural connections to it. Make what you're trying to remember something you can easily see in your mind's eye2. Use your imaginationPeople with the best memories have the best imaginations. People with the best memories have the best imaginations. If you don't get enough sleep, you'll go through the next day experiencing a form of amnesia.

Persons: Dwayne, Johnson, Lisa Genova, Taylor, aren't, you'll, Lisa Organizations: Harvard, New York Times, Bates College, Harvard University, PBS, NBC, CNN, NPR, TED, CNBC Locations: biopsychology

☆ I worked as a Starbucks barista for over a year. Here are 9 signs you're about to get a bad drink.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dylan Clair | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

As someone who worked as a Starbucks barista for over a year, here are some of the biggest red flags to look out for. It's not always wise to mobile-order a drink with cold foam or shaken espressoCold foam won't last that long on top of a drink. Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderCold-foam cold brews have boomed in popularity over the past few years — pumpkin cold foam, Irish-cream cold foam, almond milk-honey cold foam, the list goes on. A little mixing can taste nice, but you lose the texture of the cold foam, which is a delight in itself. The same principle applies to any shaken espresso drink.

Persons: Baristas, —, aren't, Mary Meisenzahl, barista, I'm, It's, Ramin Talaie, Getty, it's, that's, Sarah Jackson, I've Organizations: Starbucks, Service

☆ I'm a former Starbucks barista. These 5 drinks are so overrated — here's what to order instead.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Inga Parkel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If you like the Pink Drink, you should try the even better Mango Dragonfruit Refresher. Starbucks' Caramel Apple Spice is much better than its Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderThe most anticipated holiday drink is the Pumpkin Spice Latte, but the real MVP for autumn is the Caramel Apple Spice. Nitro cold brew is basically a smoother, less watery version of regular cold brew — it's pre-chilled, so ice is omitted from the drink. The Pink Drink is overrated – Mango Dragonfruit is the best Refresher If you like the Pink Drink, try some other Refreshers.

Persons: —, Mary Meisenzahl, Frappuccino, Paige DiFiore Organizations: Service, Starbucks Locations: mocha

☆ I worked at Starbucks for a year. Here are 10 of the best things to order from the coffee chain.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Inga Parkel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I prefer things to be sweet and cold, but you can use these recommendations as a baseline and adjust your order to your own preferences. Read on for my favorite things to order at Starbucks. ShutterstockAn iced caramel macchiato is currently my favorite order when I'm looking for a fancier drink — as long as the barista doesn't skimp out on the caramel drizzle (the most important part). A classic soy-milk latte is the perfect pick-me-upI'll order a soy latte hot or iced. The glazed doughnuts are the perfect companion to a cup of coffeePastries are one of my favorite things to pair with coffee.

Persons: —, I've, Abigail Abesamis, James Andrews1, I'm, Mary Meisenzahl Organizations: Service, Starbucks, Business, creamer Locations: Chicago, scone, Gouda

☆ Starbucks is doubling down on its olive oil-infused coffee despite a barrage of bad reviews and online hate
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Starbucks is massively expanding its rollout of Oleato, its olive oil-infused coffee range. AdvertisementStarbucks is rolling out Oleato, its olive oil-infused coffee range, to all stores in the US despite mixed reviews. They're also available at some Starbucks stores in Canada, London, Paris, Osaka, and Tokyo, as well as a more extensive range at US Starbucks Reserve stores. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz introduced the range after mixing olive oil with his Starbucks coffee in Sicily, where the oil is a key component of the Mediterranean diet. A nutritionist told CNN that combining a high-fat substance, like olive oil, with coffee can have a laxative effect.

Persons: —, They're, Howard Schultz, Schultz, TikToker, Phoebe Hunt, barista, they're Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Starbucks Reserve, Wall Street, CNN, Business Locations: Italy, Canada, London, Paris, Osaka, Tokyo, Sicily

☆ I visited Starbucks in Switzerland, where the coffee chain has some of the highest prices in the world. It was so basic.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-07 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That said, this café apparently sold the highest-priced Starbucks menu item globally in 2022. You might ask yourself: What luxurious, decadent, brightly colored, hyper-flavorful, blended monstrosity could be the most expensive Starbucks menu item in the world? AdvertisementBehold, the most expensive Starbucks menu drink worldwide as of 2022! The study found the world's second-most expensive Starbucks menu item was Denmark's chocolate-cream Frappuccino, which sounds unique and interesting. I also splurged on cold brew and found it to be inconsistentI tasted the cold brew black, then added oat milk the way I like it.

Persons: —, Morgan McFall, Johnsen, CashNetUSA, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Zurich Starbucks Locations: Switzerland, Europe, Zurich

☆ The Pumpkin Spice Latte Will Outlive Us All
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Ella Quittner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On a nearly 90-degree September morning, Verena Adelsberger held her first pumpkin spice latte in a downtown Manhattan Starbucks. It wasn’t just her first of the season. Ms. Adelsberger, 25, who was visiting the United States from Zell am See, Austria, was moved to try the pumpkin spice latte, often called the P.S.L., after seeing it celebrated online for years. She took a sip of it, which she ordered as a Frappuccino, and grinned. “It’s very sweet.”She rated it a seven out of 10, and then she left to catch the ferry to an equally classic piece of American culture: the Statue of Liberty.

Persons: Verena Adelsberger, Adelsberger, “ Locations: Manhattan, United States, Zell, Austria, of

☆ Starbucks promises its new 'siren system' will cut the wait for your drink — but most stores are still waiting for the rollout
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Kylie Kirschner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Starbucks' wait times have increased with higher demand for complicated cold drinks. The company is rolling out its new "Siren System" to overhaul and streamline drink-making. Last year the company announced its new "Siren System," a set of procedures and equipment to overhaul and streamline the drink-making process. But the cold drinks on the menu also tend to be more complicated and take longer to make. Only 40% of stores are expected to have the Siren System in three years time, Bloomberg recently reported.

Persons: John Culver, baristas, Washington barista, you'll Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Siren, Bloomberg, —, Washington Locations: Wall, Silicon, Grande, California, Boston

☆ Starbucks' dome lids are infuriating baristas and embarrassing customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Gloria Dawson | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some Starbucks baristas say the company's dome lids are difficult to attach to cups. The dome lids are also getting heat from Starbucks customers. "This is our plea to Starbucks to make the tall dome lids differently because they don't work," she says. A Starbucks spokesperson told Insider, "Dome lids are used for any cold beverage that is topped with whipped cream." AdvertisementAdvertisement"When the TikTok community cancels us because we have dome lids instead of flats."

Persons: it's, Laxman Narasimhan, They've, I've, TikTok, Juice Organizations: Starbucks, Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ohio, Virginia

☆ Ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz admits he once shunned the Frappuccino
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was initially opposed to introducing the Frappuccino. But early on, it had a notable critic: then-CEO Howard Schultz. "I think Frappuccino is a great example of Howard Schultz being 100% incorrect, wrong and on the wrong side of the debate," Schultz said in the interview. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says he initially opposed introducing the blended coffee drink. AdvertisementAdvertisement"It turned out that Frappuccino became a multibillion-dollar business for Starbucks," Schultz told Bensinger.

Persons: Howard Schultz, Schultz, wouldn't, Graham Bensinger, Abby Wallace, Dina Campion, Campion, George Howell, Schultz wasn't, Bensinger, Frappuccinos, Alex Tai, Frappuccino Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Southern California Starbucks, Beverage, Getty Images Locations: Wall, Silicon, Southern California, Canada, Shanghai

☆ Coffee chains are betting big on cold drinks as Gen Z turns its back on old-school coffees
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Cold drinks tend to cost more, but they can also cause headaches for staff. Cold drinks account for 75% of Starbucks' beverage sales. "The team is making good progress with its efforts to become a bigger player in the high-growth cold beverage category and saw cold beverage sales grow 16.6% year-over-year," Restaurant Brands International CEO Josh Kobza said. Tim Hortons' cold drinks menu looks remarkably like Starbucks' – especially in the US. Cold drinks can potentially reap higher profits for coffee chains because they tend to cost more and some customers opt for costly modifications.

Persons: Tim Hortons, Laxman Narasimhan, Josh Kobza, Kobza, Tim Hortons execs, Howard Schultz, Brady Brewer, Brewer, Baristas Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Brands Locations: Wall, Silicon, Canada, Maryland, Nebraska

☆ Starbucks misses quarterly sales estimates as demand wavers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Starbucks sign is shown on one of the company's stores in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - Starbucks (SBUX.O) missed market expectations for quarterly comparable sales on Tuesday, signaling dull demand for its coffees and cold drinks both in the North American and international markets. However, the company recorded a sharp recovery in China, with comparable sales surging 46% even as average ticket - or the average amount spent per customer on a visit - declined 1% in the quarter. Global comparable sales at Starbucks rose 10% in the third quarter, compared with analysts' expectations for a 11.8% rise, according to Refinitiv IBES data. In its international segment, same-store sales rose 24%, also missing estimates of 25.7%.

Persons: Mike Blake, Deborah Sophia, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, American, Starbucks, Java, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Seattle , Washington, United States, North America, China, Bengaluru, Kailyn Rhone, New York

☆ Premarket stocks: Markets and consumers are in an upbeat mood. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Stocks and consumer sentiment are rising in tandem after slumping last year, in another sign of growing optimism that the economy could dodge a recession. Consumer sentiment tracked by the University of Michigan jumped 13% in July, notching its second consecutive month of improvement. That comes after stocks and consumer sentiment tumbled in 2022 as sticky inflation and the Federal Reserve’s aggressive pace of interest rate hikes spurred fears that the US economy would tip into a recession. “Consumer sentiment reached levels consistent with the lows of some past recessions last summer,” wrote Lori Calvasina, head of US equity strategy at RBC Capital Markets. Still, consumer sentiment could decline if more people lose their jobs, paychecks and spending power.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Lori Calvasina, Ed Moya, Moya, Jon Ekoniak, Pete Muntean, Vanessa Yurkevich, Robert Travis, “, ” Read, Michelle Toh, Kan, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, University of Michigan, RBC Capital Markets, OANDA, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bordeaux Wealth Advisors, UPS, Teamsters, United Parcel Service, Independent Pilots Association, Brotherhood of Teamsters, South, Starbucks Asia Locations: That’s, BlackRock, Wells Fargo, South Korean, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Philippines

☆ Starbucks teams up with Blackpink, betting on the power of K-pop
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Starbucks is teaming up with Blackpink, one of the world’s hottest musical acts. The centerpiece of the lineup is the Blackpink Strawberry Choco Cream Frappuccino, a drink that is an aptly hued blend of black and pink. Like other major global brands, Starbucks is leaning into the frenzy around K-pop, hoping that it will translate to a boost in sales. The company has partnered with Blackpink before, launching a collection of merchandise in Thailand two years ago. In 2022, the group was named Time magazine’s Entertainer of the Year, becoming just the second K-pop group to receive the title.

Persons: ”, Blackpink, Emma McIntyre, Kan, they’ve, —, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, Rosé —, Dior, Bang, Hyuk, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Starbucks, Coachella, Blackpink, South, Netflix, BTS, Disney, CNN, HYBE Locations: Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Philippines, Indio , California, Asia, Thailand, South Korean

☆ Starbucks pours weak tea on virtual union talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - After more than a decade of infusing its coffee with technology, Starbucks (SBUX.O) is putting a lid on one aspect of the digital transition. The $113 billion Frappuccino maker wants to negotiate with unions in person rather than allowing members to join talks by videoconference. Mobile orders accounted for about a quarter of transactions at U.S. stores in the latest quarter. Starbucks also became one of the first big companies to hold a virtual shareholder meeting after the pandemic struck and it hosted the annual event online again last week. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Starbucks Bets Coffee Infused With Olive Oil Could Be the Next Frappuccino
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Heather Haddon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A customer exits a Starbucks coffee shop in the Manhattan borough of New York, in April. SEATTLE— Starbucks Corp., the company that made Frappuccino a household name, is turning to a new drink—one infused with olive oil. The world’s largest coffee chain plans to launch a line of olive-oil-infused drinks, set to debut in the company’s coffee shops in Italy this week and the U.S. in the spring. The Oleato beverages will include an oat-milk latte imbued with extra-virgin olive oil, and a cold brew drink topped with “golden foam” infused with the oil, executives said. Starbucks is also adding the oil to its Iced Shaken Espresso beverage, pairing it with oat milk and hazelnut.

☆ TikTok stirs up Starbucks workforce solutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Starbucks (SBUX.O) is embracing the buzz. The coffee chain filed a new patent for a machine to help customize complicated beverages, according to a Business Insider report on Monday. Incoming Chief Executive Laxman Narasimhan faces staffers increasingly eager to unionize just as U.S. labor shortages hover at highs. It is therefore hardly surprising that $123 billion Starbucks wants to streamline drink-making processes. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ PepsiCo Recalls Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino Bottles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The bottled Frappuccino drinks being recalled by PepsiCo aren’t sold at Starbucks retail locations. PepsiCo Inc. has recalled more than 25,000 cases of a Starbucks drink over concerns glass might have gotten into some bottles, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A “foreign object” identified as glass may have been found in some Starbucks vanilla Frappuccino beverages that PepsiCo distributes and sells, the FDA notice said. No injuries have been reported.

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