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☆ 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

☆ A major shift at Starbucks has changed its personality
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Employees who brewed and served Starbucks coffee, whom Starbucks called baristas, handwrote customers’ names on their drink orders. But Starbucks’ business has transformed, and it has struggled to maintain its identity as that third place along the way. In some stores, customers complained online that Starbucks pulled out comfortable chairs and replaced them with hard wooden stools. Mobile ordering was another major step in Starbucks’ road to becoming primarily a take-away business. Starbucks also is opening 2,000 new stores, including traditional Starbucks locations, pick-up stores, delivery-only stores and drive thru-only locations.

Persons: Howard Schultz, ” Schultz, “, Stephen Brashear, Michelle Eisen, ”, ” Eisen, Laxman Narasimhan, — it’s, Schultz, Tim Boyle, Wall, Tom Cook, Casey, “ It’s, Cook, ” ‘, Michael Casey, Alex Wong, Joe Pine, Eisen Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks ., Starbucks, Employees, Getty, Starbucks Workers, LinkedIn, Mobile, Horizons, Harvard Business Locations: New York, America, Buffalo , New York, United States, North America, U.S, Newsmakers, Buffalo

☆ Starbucks is set to resume union negotiations as it confronts issues at its stores
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Kate Rogers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Spencer Platt | Getty ImagesWhen Starbucks and its baristas union resume contract bargaining this week, workers may have renewed momentum at their backs — courtesy of the company's own CEO. Narasimhan, in prepared remarks to Wall Street analysts, cited some of the challenges that union workers have been highlighting in their bid for better working conditions. For Workers United, the union behind the Starbucks organizing, his admission that more could be done was promising. Starbucks and the union are meeting to continue working on the framework that will inform every single-store contract moving ahead. There has been another call for change at Starbucks stores that may carry weight at the negotiating table.

Persons: Spencer Platt, Laxman Narasimhan, we're, Narasimhan, CNBC's, Kevin Johnson, baristas, Michelle Eisen, Eisen, we've, Howard Schultz, Schultz, Howard Organizations: Getty, Starbucks, Wall Street, U.S, Workers United, Staffing, CNBC Locations: New, Buffalo , New York, Buffalo

We are buying 50 shares of Starbucks (SBUX), at roughly $90 apiece. Following Tuesday's trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 800 shares of SBUX, increasing its weighting in the portfolio to 2.62% from 2.46%. That's why we're adding to our position in Starbucks . One name we're warming to is Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which we're adding to the Club's Bullpen . As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

Persons: Jim Cramer's, it's, we've, Nvidia, Goldman, Lisa Su, Su, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: Starbucks, SBUX, System, Devices, Broadcom, AMD, Goldman Sachs Communacopia Technology, CNBC Locations: Starbucks, China

☆ 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

Emergency sirens on Maui, part of Hawaii's decades-old early warning system, never sounded. But authorities are finding existing emergency alert systems insufficient for these new threats - sometimes with deadly results. NEW CHALLENGESAcross much of the world, warning systems for natural disasters have not evolved in response to climate change, according to Schlegelmilch. While each locality faces a distinctive threat landscape and needs a unique warning system, disaster management experts see some solutions that can be applied everywhere. The county also acquired a warning system that can send alerts to cellphones, fixed phone lines, emails - and even fax machines.

Persons: Mike Blake, Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, Chris Gregg, Adam Weintraub, Bill Parker, Parker, Mike Chard, Chard, Laura Brewington, Julia Harte, Brad Brooks, Paul Thomasch, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Climate, East Tennessee State University, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, U.S . National Weather Service, Boulder Office, Disaster, Thomson Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Canada, Vermont, United States, Columbia, Jackson , Mississippi, Colorado's, Boulder, Boulder . Boulder, Chard, Boulder County, Pacific

☆ Live updates: Maui wildfires death toll rises, Lahaina recovery begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Aditi Sangal | Mike Hayes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Struggle to house displaced residents and tourists: The devastation has displaced thousands of people, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell estimated. As of Friday night, a total of 1,418 people were at emergency evacuation shelters, according to Maui County officials. Teams are working to get displaced Lahaina residents into temporary homes, with more than 500 hotel rooms already obtained with government subsidies, Green said Sunday. Hawaii's main electric provider sued: A lawsuit claims electrified power lines blown over by high winds helped to cause the destructive Lahaina wildfire. Mayor Bissen acknowledged Thursday that power lines that were “still energized” had fallen on the roads, but the new lawsuit does not state exactly how the power lines allegedly caused the wildfire.

Persons: Yuki Iwamura, John Pelletier, Josh Green, Deanne Criswell, Green, ” Green, weren’t, Bissen, ” Organizations: Getty, Maui Police, Gov, FEMA, Hawaiian Electric Industries Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, AFP, Maui, Maui County, Lahaina

☆ Maui wildfires: What we know about the deadliest US fire in over a century
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

While firefighters have made progress against the three largest wildfires, the deadly fire in hard-hit Lahaina is still not fully under control, Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura said Saturday. Mike Blake/ReutersThe most destructive and deadly of the fires, the Lahaina wildfire, traveled at an extraordinary speed, the governor said in a video update Sunday afternoon. “When the winds rose up – winds gusting as high as 81 miles per hour – fires spread rapidly,” Green said. Lahaina is the hardest hit areaVideo Ad Feedback The Maui fires destroyed their homes. People are still missing and just 3% of area was searchedA caretaker photographs the site of a home destroyed by the Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on Sunday.

Persons: CNN — Crews, what’s, Josh Green, “ It’s, Brad Ventura, Mike Blake, ” Green, “, Lori Moore, Merrell, Richard T, Bissen, Deanne Criswell, King Kamehameha III, Keith Hayashi, ” Hayashi, John Pelletier, Patrick T, Fallon, Pelletier, Mazie, Brittany Talley, Timm “ TK ” Williams, Williams, Talley, ” Talley, weren’t, we’ll, Anne Lopez, ”, Jim Kelly, ” Kelly Organizations: CNN, ”, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Maui County Fire, Maxar Technologies, FEMA, Sunday, Maui Police, National Fire Protection Association, People, Getty, Sen, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaiian Electric Locations: Maui, ” Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui County, Kula, Hawaii, Lāhainā, Kula , Hawaii, AFP, Kaanapali

☆ Maui wildfires live updates: Death toll rises, Lahaina fire 85% contained
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Amir Vera | Matt Meyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Some residents say they did not receive an official warning, and there have been complaints that officials were woefully unprepared for wildfires. "I am not going to make any excuses for this tragedy," US Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday. Hirono spoke with Tapper Sunday morning, a day after surveying the damage on Maui with the state's governor and the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "The entire historic town of Lahaina burned to the ground," she said, adding that there were images of cars that were totally demolished. Hirono also spoke about resources and government agency support while acknowledging the state is in a period of "shock and loss."

Persons: Sen, Mazie, CNN's Jake Tapper, Hirono, Tapper, Joe Biden Organizations: Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina

☆ Maui wildfire death toll of 55 expected to rise amid search for victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Marco Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

KAHULUI, Hawaii, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The death toll from a wildfire that killed at least 55 people on Hawaii's Maui island was expected to rise on Friday, as search teams prepared to comb through the charred ruins of a historic resort town for more victims. "Understand this: Lahaina Town is hallowed, sacred ground right now," Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said, referring to humans remains that have yet to be recovered. In addition to searching for the missing, officials were drafting a plan to house the newly homeless in hotels and tourist rental properties. The Lahaina fire is one of three major wildfires on Maui. There was no estimate for the Upcountry fire in the center of the eastern mass of the island, Maui County said.

Persons: John Pelletier, Poweroutage.us, Richard Bissen, NBC's, Knickerbocker, Josh Green, Green, Kamehameha III's, Gregory Knickerbocker, Nicoangelo, Brendan O'Brien, Frank McGurty, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Maui Police, Authorities, U.S . Midwest, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KAHULUI, Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina, California, Washington, Maui County, Oahu, Kahului, U.S, Kingdom of Hawaii, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Europe, Canada, East Coast, Maui ., Chicago

☆ U.S. fast-food chains add automation to boost speed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Kailyn Rhone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With mass shortages of low-cost labor due to the pandemic, chains shifted to technology investments in their kitchens to fill the gap. The addition of automation tools in restaurant chains could cut down on wait times, driving higher consumer engagement and increasing sales for the rest of the year, restaurant executives say. Thirty-six percent of 1,000 U.S. people told HungerRush in a survey in May that they believed major restaurant chains don’t have enough staff to take orders, prepare food, and handle deliveries. Last year, Domino's Pizza Enterprises announced an automated pizza prep device in partnership with Picnic Works, a Seattle-based food-automation startup. "Anytime there's new automation, it creates new kinds of jobs," said Gaurav Kachhawa, chief product officer at Gupshup, a conversational messaging platform.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, Rachel Ruggeri, HungerRush, Aaron Nilsson, Chipotle, Brian Niccol, Domino's, Gaurav Kachhawa, It's, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Siren, Starbucks, National Restaurant Association, Society, Pizza Enterprises, Picnic, Kailyn, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Michigan, Colorado, Houston, Seattle, Indiana, Indiana , Illinois, Wisconsin

☆ We expected more from Starbucks' quarter, but remain believers in the coffee brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bottom line It wasn't a bad quarter from Starbucks but with expectations low headed into the print, we wanted to see more. We also remain believers in the unrivaled name recognition of the Starbucks brand, which ended the quarter with a record 90-day active-user base of 31.4 million in the U.S., up 15% from last year. But the main focus for investors was on China, Starbucks' biggest market after the U.S. Revenues increased 51% from last year, to $821.9 million, with comparable stores sales up 46%. WUHAN, CHINA - OCTOBER 6: (CHINA OUT) An employee services in a Starbucks coffee truck at Wuhan International Plaza on October 6, 2022 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.

Persons: we're, We're, Laxman Narasimhan, Narasimhan, That's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: Starbucks, Revenue, System, U.S, CNBC, Wuhan International Plaza, Getty Locations: U.S, China, North America, China —, WUHAN, CHINA, Wuhan, Hubei province

☆ Starbucks' iconic coffee cup has a climate problem as mobile, drive-thru orders boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Kaitlin Balasaygun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The experience of on-the-go coffee may be reshaped if Starbucks achieves its reusable cup goal. Reusable coffee cup initiatives around the worldStarbucks has been experimenting with reusable cup concepts in markets around the world. Customers can then return their reusable cup at a participating store or by using the Starbucks app at a cup return kiosk. Even though a reusable cup option has been in place at Starbucks for over 30 years, many consumers, and Starbucks employees, remain oblivious to its existence. The future of the Starbucks' cup has broad implications.

Persons: —, Amelia Landers, Matt Prindiville, hasn't, Conrad MacKerron, MacKerron, Prindiville, IGD, Prindville, Kelly McBee, McBee, They're, Landers, Grace Lee Organizations: Starbucks, Business, CNBC, Arizona State University, Consulting, Clean Locations: Colorado, Hawaii, Taiwan, South Korea, Tokyo, Singapore, London, Geneva, Paris, Europe, Middle East, Africa, U.S, Seattle

☆ This is what Starbucks workers really think about the chain's changes to how they'll make cold brew and other iced drinks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Insider spoke to nine US Starbucks workers to hear their thoughts on the announcement. Workers told Insider that they want changes that will make their jobs easier, but not at the expense of their craft. And a new system for making cold brew is even more of an overhaul: So called "cold-pressed" technology will allow baristas to make cold brew in a few seconds compared to the 20 hours it now takes to brew the stuff. And cold drinks are important to the company: Iced drinks now make up about 70% of Starbucks' sales, CEO Howard Schultz said recently. "I think the new cold brewer will save a ton of time and tedious work," a supervisor from Detroit told Insider.

☆ Starbucks soars after its investor day. Here's what Wall Street analysts had to say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

BTIG Starbucks' investor day "lived up to expectations," according to BTIG analysts Peter Saleh and Ben Parente. Ivankoe noted that, in December 2016, Starbucks released a five-year strategic plan that called for annual EPS growth between 15% and 20%. "We think investors had also expected more conservative guidance to provide room for the incoming CEO and return to a beat & raise story," the analysts wrote. Wedbush Wedbush analysts Nick Setyan and Michael Symington were more muted in their reaction to Starbucks' investor day. China, a view that, to us, seems equally out of place given ongoing global macro headwinds," the analysts wrote.

☆ Starbucks just had its best week ever thanks to cold pumpkin drinks. See how it's betting future growth on making iced drinks faster.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Iced drinks now make up about 70% of Starbucks' sales, Schultz said, and they're particularly popular with younger Gen Z and Millenial customers, driving sales growth. To better accommodate this demand for iced drinks, Starbucks unveiled new, faster methods of making cold brew and frappuccinos at investor day. The company is adding its new proprietary Siren System that it says will cut the time and effort needed to make cold drinks. The Siren System includes a custom ice dispenser, milk dispenser, and faster blenders to expedite the process of making frappuccinos and other cold drinks. The process to make a grande Pink Drink will go from 52 seconds and 11 steps to 24 seconds and 9 steps, Starbucks says.

☆ Howard Schultz tells Cramer: China will overtake U.S. as Starbucks' biggest market by 2025
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"The future of Starbucks," the outgoing interim CEO Schultz told Jim Cramer, "has never been brighter. All in all, what Starbucks had to say Tuesday validated our decision to invest in the company in late August. China is going to come back, and the equity of the brand has never been stronger at Starbucks Coffee Company," Schultz said. We will be more convenient, but we want to create the experience you've known Starbucks to be," Schultz said. Schultz acknowledged to CNBC that Starbucks has failed to meet the expectations lately of some cafe employees, which the company calls "partners."

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