An open letter written by Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol will hopefully offer some reassurance to customers who have become fed up with long waits, limited offerings, and underwhelming products. The candid letter comes just a few days after Starbucks was slammed by an anonymous employee who admitted that the coffee shop has turned into a “soulless fast food empire.”
Niccol, the former Chipotle CEO, pointed out where Starbucks has faltered and how the shop plans to get back on track.
Here are several highlights from his letter:
Starbucks Locations In The U.S. Are Struggling
In his letter, Niccol noted that coffee shops in the U.S. in particular aren’t “delivering” as they should.
“In some places — especially in the U.S. — we aren’t always delivering. It can feel transactional, menus can feel overwhelming, product is inconsistent, the wait too long or the handoff too hectic. These moments are opportunities for us to do better,” he wrote.
As a reminder, Starbucks currently operates in the UK, France, South Africa, Brazil, and dozens of other countries across the globe. Niccol admitted that he sees “enormous potential for growth” for these destinations as well.
New Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol
Starbucks Plans On Returning To Its Roots
The popular coffee shop will return to the basics as it attempts to reignite what made Starbucks special to customers.
“Today, I’m making a commitment: We’re getting back to Starbucks. We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. This is our enduring identity. We will innovate from here,” said Niccol.
Changes Will Be Made In Four Key Areas
Niccol offered a breakdown of the four specific areas Starbucks plans to make changes in. They include everything from tweaking morning service to bringing community back to coffee shops.
Those four areas include:
- Empowering our baristas to take care of our customers.
- Get the morning right, every morning.
- Reestablishing Starbucks as the community coffeehouse.
- Telling our story.
Danielle Harling is an Atlanta-based freelance writer with a love for colorfully designed-spaces, craft cocktails and online window shopping (usually for budget-shattering designer heels). Her past work has appeared on Fodor’s, Forbes, MyDomaine, Architectural Digest and more.
