Want to know why it takes so long to get your order at Starbucks? I can give you 170,000 reasons, but new CEO Brian Niccol wants to cut those down as part of his turnaround plan for the troubled purveyor of coffee-based beverages.
It also might shorten those wait lines that have grown notoriously long.
In an open letter Tuesday to the company and customers alike, Niccol admitted that "there’s a shared sense that we have drifted from our core" because some stores "especially in the U.S. — we aren’t always delivering" on the Starbucks experience as "a gathering space, a community center."
"We’re committed to elevating the in-store experience — ensuring our spaces reflect the sights, smells and sounds that define Starbucks. Our stores will be inviting places to linger, with comfortable seating, thoughtful design and a clear distinction between 'to-go' and 'for-here' service."
Niccol's first step in improving that experience is making sure customers get their order "on time, every time."
That's a tall order. Or is that a Trenta? Whenever my wife orders her beloved Starbucks chai, I have no idea what the words she uses mean.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I had no idea until reading a Wall Street Journal report "that there are 'at least 170,000 different ways to customize' your Starbucks order. If Niccol wants to bring costs down, a little less variety might go a long way."
I'm an American. I believe in freedom of choice and lots of it. But what is the "right" number of coffee options, anyway? Starbucks' troubles indicate that it must be less than 170,000. But is it 17,000? 1,700? 170 seems too few for today's spoiled (and I mean that in a good way) coffee-based beverage drinkers.
Simplifying options, ironically enough, is a complex job. What must stay? What can go? How long will retraining take? How do we retrain our customers' expectations? How do we keep from ruffling franchisee feathers? And more.
Why the fascination with Starbucks? This must be my third or fourth column on the company in the last year or so, even though I don't drink their coffee. But the company is fascinating because they managed to build a business model that commands premium prices for a commodity product. Every business would love to do that but few are able. Starbucks even expanded that model into countries around the world that weren't coffee-drinking cultures — at least not before Starbucks came around. Now that the company's model has become creaky, that adds yet another fascinating element.
How this all plays out is anyone's guess, and I wouldn't be surprised if Niccol gets pushback from customers and from within Starbucks management and its stores. But if the outcome turns out to be better, faster, cheaper coffee — or even just two out of the three — even I might have to give them another shot...
...of half-double decaffeinated half-caf with a twist of lemon, of course.
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P.S. I'm still boycotting writing anything more about Tuesday's presidential debate, but our massive 60% off FIGHT promotion is making ABC's David Muir and Linsey Davis squirm in their seats for a change.
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