Getty ImagesStarbucks is simplifying its menu in the US as it cuts 1,100 jobs and improves its flagging business in its home market.
The first items to get x include Royal English Breakfast Strate, White Hot Chocolate, and several varieties of blended Frappuccinos.
However, Starbucks said it would cut more products as it aims to reduce its menu by nearly a third more than next year.
The company has been working on a sustained decline in sales since last year, particularly in the US.
Brian Nicole, the CEO who previously led Mexican food chain Chipotle, was taken to Starbucks last year to turn his business around.
He says he wants to see the company return to its roots as a coffee house.
Drinks set in the chopping block “may be “not generally purchased and may be like other drinks on the menu, or something like other drinks,” Starbucks said I said that. The changes are scheduled to take effect on March 4th.
“We will run with excellence by simplifying the menu, focusing on fewer popular items,” the company said Monday.
“This gives way to innovation, reduces waiting times, improves quality and consistency, and aligns with our core identity as a coffee company.”
The job cuts announced Monday focus on the role of a company’s “support partner” and will not affect employment or investment in stores, the company said.
The company said it would notify staff affected by the decision by noon Tuesday. It also eliminates “hundreds” open and fulfilling positions.
“Our intention is to operate more efficiently, increase accountability, reduce complexity and promote better integration,” Nicole wrote in the announcement.
Starbucks employs more than 360,000 people and operates or licenses more than 40,000 stores around the world.
The US is the largest and most important market, but brands have struggled in recent years as customers complained about long wait times and high prices, and the company is wrestling with baristas.
The company was also caught up in debates over the Israel-Gaza War and faced calls for boycotts from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian camps despite efforts to remain neutral.
The company said last month that trading in U.S. stores fell 8% in the quarter at least a year ago.
The drive to simplify the menu shows a shift from previous strategies that highlighted personalized drinks.
