Smaller menus, better vibes: How Starbucks’s CEO is shaking up the brand
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Brian Niccol wants to give Starbucks’s operations a caffeinated jolt. Roughly five months into his tenure running the world’s largest coffee chain, Niccol is spearheading changes to overhaul the business and improve the brand’s perception with consumers.
Niccol recently told The Wall Street Journal during an interview that fixing ineffective mobile ordering systems is his biggest challenge in turning around Starbucks in the U.S., and one of the greatest opportunities for improvement. Striking unpopular menu items and addressing customer wait times are also among the top things he is tackling inside U.S. cafes.
He said restoring basic offerings like condiment bars is also critical. Niccol, 51 years old, enjoys Starbucks’s Americano coffee drinks and loves the personal notes and drawings that baristas now scrawl on customers’ cups. Here are some takeaways from the interview: Starbucks customers want to schedule their online drink orders for pickup at certain times, Niccol said, much like diners can for burrito bowls at Chipotle Mexican Grill.
The company is testing an algorithm to better sequence orders coming into a cafe based on when they should be made. Niccol also hopes to crack the code on scheduled pickup times for mobile orders. Asked if he will fix mobile ordering in a year, Niccol said he sure hoped so.
“At a minimum, we will be a lot better than where we are today," Niccol said. Niccol is doubling down on U.S. baristas writing short messages on customers’ to-go cups and bags.
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