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Starbucks just replaced its CEO after a rocky nine months in charge, and as a former barista, I understand why.
I worked at Starbucks as a teenager in 1999, and I agree with longtime CEO Howard Schultz and his recent manifesto: he’s right, the company has lost its way.
Over the last few years, I’ve found myself feeling overwhelmed when I look at the Starbucks menu. Weird new drinks that I’ve never heard of and I have no idea what they’ll even look like when they’re served to me. I love trying new things and fun new drinks, but when I look at the menu I can be intimidated.
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For new CEO Brian Niccol, who comes over from Chipotle, he has some ideas.
More lavender powder. This was a seasonal item this spring, but I never got a chance to try it because it was always sold out. Apparently it was so popular that stores had a hard time keeping it in stock. The outgoing CEO said that the lavender flavor was on par with the Pumpkin Spice Latte as the best flavor ever. So, we want more! Reopen the just-closed Astor Place Starbucks in New York City. The iconic East Village store, located right by NYU and Cooper Union, is a venerable establishment that has been in business since 1995. It’s the closest Starbucks to the flagship store in East Seattle. New Yorkers need this! The best place to use the restroom in Lower Manhattan! Make it easier to order wild and wacky drinks. TikTok has had a major impact on people coming up with new drink ideas that can be made with customized ingredients. People will share these ideas along with “recipe” on how to order them. For example, ordering a complex mix of syrups, toppings, and foam on top of a regular iced latte. This is fun, but it’s complicated to actually make these customized orders in the Starbucks app. I wish there was a daily or weekly “unusual drink” feature with all the customizations set up in the app. Even better, I could seamlessly discover new and unusual drink combinations on TikTok and just tap into the app. Maybe Starbucks could even find a way to use AI for this. Please make it more clear if non-coffee drinks contain caffeine or not. I ended up ordering a fruit-flavored refresher drink for my kid, not realizing it was caffeinated. Please make more decaf options available. Please help old timers like me understand how to try new things. I usually stick to regular hot or iced coffee because I don’t want to waste everyone’s time by being confused by new options. For example, I would like more photos of the drinks. I would like to know what the blended lemonade is like. Forget the tapioca popping balls. Bubble tea is fun and great, but it tastes even better at a proper bubble tea joint. Bring back the espresso brownie. I think I ate about 500 of them in 1999. They’re the ultimate treat.
Now, I don’t necessarily think all of these ideas are going to instantly boost Starbucks stock, but hey, I’m just a customer, not the CEO.
1 Comment
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