Brian Nicol, Starbucks’ new chairman and CEO, hopes nostalgia and Sharpie shots will help the coffee giant break out of its slumping sales.
A barista places a finished drink into a disposable cup at a Starbucks retail store in Seattle, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson
FILE – In this Wednesday, March 18, 2015 file photo, Holly Ainslie, a barista at a Starbucks store in Seattle, writes on a cup of an iced drink. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File
FILE – Brian Nicol, who was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks on August 13, 2024, is shown during an interview in New York on June 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Lenihan, File)
AP Photo/Mark Lenihan, File
WTOP’s Jimmy Alexander spoke with customers near the Starbucks on Dupont Circle. (WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
Brian Nicol, Starbucks’ new chairman and CEO, hopes nostalgia and Sharpie shots will help the coffee giant pull out of its slumping sales.
Starbucks reported that its 2024 fiscal year ended with disappointing results. Starbucks said its sales for the July-September period fell 3% to $9.1 billion as customer traffic slowed in the U.S. and China. Starbucks said its full-year sales rose less than 1% to $36 billion.
“We have to make it easier for customers to drink coffee,” Nicol said during his first conference call with investors since joining Starbucks in September.
Nikkor wants baristas to hand-deliver customer orders within four minutes. He said about half of the company’s transactions now complete within four minutes. He wants to focus on the bottlenecks slowing down the other half, from staffing shortages during rush hours to slow ovens that cook food for Starbucks’ overcomplicated menu.
Another of Nicole’s goals is for Starbucks to become the community coffeehouse it once was. So in-store customers will once again be using ceramic mugs, and baristas will be holding mechanical pencils to write messages on customers’ orders.
“I love this. It had so many different names,” said Bryn, who lives in D.C. “I’ll always have Gwen.”
Brin told WTOP near the Starbucks on Dupont Circle. “I’ve only been called ‘Grin’, ‘Gwen’, ‘Brian’ a few times. Or they’ll just make a good guess. They’ll try to get as close as possible, like a few Aarons.” Dew.”
Bryn’s friend also joined in the conversation and mentioned many of the names he found on the Starbucks cup.
“My name is Miles, so naturally I got MI and Mike. I’d call Mike and every now and then I’d have the barista pull out a classic high school crank in inches or kilos,” Miles said. .
Bryn rarely received cups from Starbucks with her actual name on them, but she’s happy to have her Sharpie back. “You know what? I’d like your name back. I think that’s a great choice.”
Bryn admitted that she likes the stickers on the cups. It’s not just because the item you ordered is listed on the side and the name is spelled correctly.
“I like how DuPont (Starbucks) puts up stickers that are like random, motivational phrases. I found it on my birthday. And I’m like, “I love you, yes.” ”
Regarding stickers and sharpies, Miles told WTOP: Give your baristas freedom. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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