SEATTLE—Behind a secure door at Starbucks Corp. headquarters lies a technology lab where the chain is plotting its renewal. That includes rethinking the onerous path its baristas must take to make a Frappuccino. Inside the 20,000-square-foot space called the Tryer Center, baristas working in a mock-up of a Starbucks cafe walked back and forth between refrigerators, blenders and syrups to make a single blended coffee topped with cold foam and caramel drizzle. They asked if the company could build kitchens that bring the equipment closer together and make syrup pumps, milk dispensers and ice bins that work better.

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