Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Starbucks

Starbucks customers across the US in uproar over company’s new cup design
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the company’s app needs to be more transparent on pricing.

Many Starbucks lovers can now expect to receive their cold coffee orders in cups featuring a new design.

Depending on the state, some Starbucks locations have switched their transparent single-use plastic to opaque white compostable cups, a move that has sparked dissatisfaction among some customers who expressed having difficulty drinking out of the new lids.

The change is a step toward the company’s sustainability goals, according to a Starbucks company spokesperson.

“On Feb. 11, a small number of stores in 14 states switched to commercially compostable cups and lids as part of our efforts to reduce waste and meet local market requirements,” the spokesperson told FOX Business.

DRINKING COFFEE AT A CERTAIN TIME OF DAY COULD REDUCE DEATH RISK, STUDY FINDS

Starbucks’ new compostable cup can be found in Oakland, California. (Reddit/@Genera1Ts0 / Fox News)

Starbucks is working to make its cups entirely compostable, recyclable or reusable by 2030, according to the company’s website.

The switch allows the company to align with local regulations in certain cities that have passed legislation requiring transitions away from single-use plastic.

While the coffee giant has 17,000 stores across the U.S., only about 580 stores have implemented the changes across the following 14 states:
- California
- Washington
- Hawaii
- Minnesota
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Maryland
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- South Carolina
- Colorado
- Georgia
STARBUCKS CEO SAYS BETTER PRICING TRANSPARENCY NECESSARY FOR MOBILE APP

Starbucks’ new compostable cups come with flat or dome-shaped lids. (Starbucks)

The new cups, which are made from molded fiber, come with both flat or dome-shaped lids to carry both regular iced coffee and even whipped frappuccinos.

Because the opaque cups look similar to those used for hot drinks, one Reddit user said the new cups make it difficult for customers to photograph their colorful drinks.

“No more Tiktok drinks,” a Reddit user said. “Can’t flaunt a drink if it’s hidden.”

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

SBUX STARBUCKS CORP. 112.55 +0.16 +0.14%

Starbucks’ single-use plastic cups used to allow people to photograph their colorful drinks. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Many customers have expressed dissatisfaction over the new designs across numerous Reddit posts, claiming that the cups are uncomfortable to drink out of and that the lids do not seal well.

“They are awful & so awkward to drink out of,” a Reddit user commented in a post about Starbucks’ new cups.

Another Reddit user posted a photo showing leakage from the new lid.

“What the H, Starbucks??” the Reddit user said in the post.

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For customers who are not fans of the new compostable designs, Starbucks said there are still other alternatives.

“As an alternative, customers are welcome to bring in their clean, personal reusable cup or order their beverage “for here” to have their beverage served in a ceramic mug or glass,” a Starbucks spokesperson said.

“We’re committed to innovation, testing and learning to meet the expectations of our partners and customers – and the requirements of the markets we serve,” the spokesperson said.
February 18, 2025
Missouri AG sues Starbucks over ‘race-based’ hiring, DEI initiatives

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday for using “race-based hiring practices” in alleged violation of anti-discrimination laws.

Bailey’s lawsuit alleges that Starbucks violates the Missouri Human Rights Act. The lawsuit highlights programs Starbucks offers to promote “BIPOC” employees, referring to Black, indigenous and people of color. It also targets the company for “setting and tracking annual inclusion and diversity goals of achieving BIPOC representation of at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025,” according to a draft of the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.

“With Starbucks’ discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri’s consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin,” Bailey claimed in a statement.

Starbucks did not respond by press time to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Starbucks is facing a lawsuit in Missouri over its hiring practices and other programs. (Getty Images)

“As Attorney General, I have a moral and legal obligation to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said. “Racism has no place in Missouri. We’re filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.”

Bailey’s lawsuit relies on the Supreme Court ruling that federal law prohibits discrimination based on race in college admissions, arguing that the decision also applies to hiring practices.

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By allegedly linking its hiring practices to race and gender quotas, Starbucks has “blatantly violated the law,” the lawsuit claims.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday. (Vanessa Abbitt/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Additionally, the company discriminates based on race and gender when it comes to board membership. All of these actions are unlawful,” Bailey’s office said in a statement.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after news that Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol warned the company’s employees about incoming layoffs in March.

In a message to employees, he highlighted how the company aims to deliver on its “Back to Starbucks” strategy, a series of changes announced last year that aims to enhance customers’ in-store experience, but also said it needs to strive for better efficiency, which will ultimately result in layoffs.

A Starbucks barista works at one of the company’s stores. (iStock)

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“We have recently begun the work to define the support organization for the future. We are approaching this work thoughtfully, but it will involve difficult decisions and choices. I expect that, unfortunately, we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward,” Niccol wrote.

Read the full Missouri lawsuit below

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 11, 2025
Starbucks offering free post-Super Bowl coffee

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the company’s app needs to be more transparent on pricing.

Starbucks is offering members of its loyalty program free coffee on Monday, the day after the Super Bowl.

Starbucks Rewards members in the U.S. on Monday will be eligible for a free tall hot or iced-brewed coffee at any point throughout the day. They will be limited to one drink.

Customers who are a Starbucks Rewards member will already have a coupon in the Starbucks app that they can apply for when they place a mobile order. Customers can also redeem their Starbucks Monday coupon when ordering in the store or in the drive-thru.

Anyone who joins the program on Monday can also redeem the coupon in-store.

The company advertised the move as a way to help its customers get through the “long Monday” after the Super Bowl. It is also seen as a way to convince more consumers to join its free loyalty program, which has been growing in back-to-back quarters. In its January earnings call, the company announced that Starbucks Rewards membership and spending grew quarter over quarter and year over year. It also saw growth among non-Starbucks Rewards customer traffic quarter over quarter.

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A Starbucks barista working at a store in January 2025. (Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks)

The growth in traffic comes as the company rolls out a series of new initiatives under CEO Brian Niccol, who took over in September 2024, to reverse the company’s sales slump and return it to its traditional coffee house roots.

STARBUCKS CEO SAYS BETTER PRICING TRANSPARENCY NECESSARY FOR MOBILE APP

Last month, the company’s condiment bars – which were removed during the COVID-19 pandemic – returned to Starbucks locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, offering customers the ability to add their own creamer, milk and sweeteners.

A barista pours steamed milk into a beverage cup at a Starbucks Corp. cafe. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Baristas also began to put “any” drinks ordered “for here” in coffee mugs, glasses or a customer’s personal cup. The company also brought back free refills of hot brewed or iced coffee, or hot or iced tea for dine-in customers during the same visit.

The coffee giant also stopped charging customers for soy milk, oat milk, almond milk and coconut milk at company-owned and operated locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

SBUX STARBUCKS CORP. 112.20 +0.50 +0.45%

Niccol, who had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the complexity of the company’s menu, also announced last month that the company would be cutting 30% of its food and beverage offerings. However, the company still plans “to lead this market with breakthrough beverage and food innovation,” and is offering limited-time drinks for Valentine’s Day.

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Niccol previously detailed other changes the company is looking to make, such as “fully” introducing digital menu boards at U.S. company-owned stores over the next year-and-a-half to “make our offerings more easily understood and to better show customization add-ons.”

February 10, 2025
Starbucks to put out limited-time drinks ahead of Valentine’s Day

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the company’s app needs to be more transparent on pricing.

Starbucks is getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit through limited-time drinks.

The coffeehouse chain said Monday that Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Creme Frappuccino and Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew drinks will go on sale at U.S. locations starting Tuesday in honor of the upcoming holiday.

The limited-time Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Creme Frappuccino consists of a “blend of strawberry puree, Frappuccino chips, milk and ice” on top of a “splash of strawberry puree and finished with whipped cream and mocha drizzle,” Starbucks said.

A sign embellished with the Starbucks logo hangs near the entrance to the Starbucks coffee shop in Aspen, Colorado. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Meanwhile, for the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew, customers can expect Starbucks cold brew “sweetened with vanilla syrup and topped with silky, chocolatey hazelnut flavored cream cold foam and chocolate cookie crumbles,” according to the company.

STARBUCKS ROLLS OUT CHANGES, INCLUDING FREE REFILLS; BRINGS BACK CONDIMENT BARS

U.S. Starbucks stores will continue to sell the two drinks “for a limited time while supplies last,” according to the Seattle-based company. Both previously appeared on Starbucks menus ahead of Valentine’s Day last year.

Their reintroduction on Tuesday will coincide with the company’s planned rollout of its new Blackberry Sage Refresher, Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher and Midnight Drink.

Those three beverages will also stay on Starbucks menus for a limited time. Unlike the frappuccino and cold brew drinks, however, Canadian stores will also carry the new refreshers and Midnight Drink in addition to U.S. locations, according to the company.

The Midnight drink “features flavors of sweet blackberries and sage with green coffee extract and blackberry inclusions mixed with coconutmilk and shaken with ice,” according to the company.

Starbucks noted the pair of Blackberry Sage refreshers mark the first instance of Refreshers pairing a “berry flavor with an herb.”

People pass by a Starbucks coffee shop in Manhattan, New York, United States on Jan. 15, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The company has plans to take a close look at its menu this year.

“In the coming months, you’ll see us begin to optimize our menu offerings, resulting in roughly 30% reduction in both beverages and food SKUs by the end of fiscal year 2025,” CEO Brian Niccol said in late January, adding the company will “work to lead this market with breakthrough beverage and food innovation” as it does that.

STARBUCKS CUTTING 30% OF ITS ‘OVERLY COMPLEX’ MENU

“We’ll do this by being responsive to customer trends and their changing preferences. We’ll rely on our highly-engaged green apron partners for inspiration like we did with our Lavender lineup last year, and we’ll be more responsible and tuned in to cultural moments like we did with the Dubai matcha,” he said.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

SBUX STARBUCKS CORP. 108.16 +0.48 +0.45%

In late January, Starbucks implemented some changes at the coffee chain’s U.S. and Canadian locations.

Starbucks Coffee signage is being pictured in Warsaw, Poland, on July 31, 2024. (Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

They included the return of condiment bars as well as baristas putting drinks ordered “for here” in coffee mugs or glasses and providing free refills of hot brewed or iced coffee or hot or iced team for dine-in customers.

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Niccol detailed other changes the company is looking to make during the company’s first-quarter earnings call in late January. One of those was “fully” introducing digital menu boards at U.S. company-owned stores over the next year-and-a-half to “make our offerings more easily understood and to better show customization add-ons,” he said.

The company reported over 18,500 stores across North America and over 22,000 outside of that region as of late December, according to its first-quarter earnings report.

February 4, 2025
Starbucks cutting 30% of its menu

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Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol reaffirmed his commitment to simplifying the coffee chain’s menu on Tuesday, revealing plans to cut 30% of its food and beverage offerings.

“In the coming months, you’ll see us begin to optimize our menu offerings, resulting in a roughly 30% reduction in both beverages and food SKUs by the end of fiscal year 2025,” Niccol told analysts on an earnings call.

Niccol – just five months on the job – said the company will still respond to customer trends and their changing preferences in order to innovate its selection of beverages and food.

STARBUCKS CEO OUSTED: WHAT BRIAN NICCOL FACES AS NEW TOP BOSS

Niccol took over the struggling coffee chain from former CEO Laxman Narasimhan in September and, in short order, announced several changes to its stores, including bringing back the condiment bar. Niccol also said the company would revert cafes back to their former “coffee house” aesthetic with “personal touches” like mugs and sharpies, all in an effort to reverse a slump in sales and declining foot traffic.

Part of his immediate strategy also included simplifying the coffee chain’s “overly complex menu” to better align with its identity as a coffee house company, separating mobile order pickup from the cafe experience, and fixing its pricing architecture. Niccol also told FOX Business in an exclusive interview in December that he aims to make pricing on its app more transparent.

A barista pours steamed milk into a beverage cup at a Starbucks cafe. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We’ve been focused on simplifying our menu to position partners for success, improve consistency, drive customer satisfaction, and enhance our economics,” Niccol told analysts. “As part of this work, we made some late simplifications to our holiday product lineup and believe we have more opportunities ahead as we follow a disciplined stage-gate process to innovate and bring to market fewer better beverage and food offerings that reflect our premium positioning.”

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

SBUX STARBUCKS CORP. 107.10 +6.69 +6.66%

STARBUCKS CEO SAYS BETTER PRICING TRANSPARENCY NECESSARY FOR MOBILE APP

On Monday, the condiment bars – which were removed during the COVID-19 pandemic – returned to Starbucks locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, offering customers the ability to add their own creamer, milk and sweeteners.

The Starbucks logo is displayed on a cup and bag at a Starbucks store on October 29, 2021, in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Baristas also began to put “any” drinks ordered “for here” in coffee mugs, glasses or a customers’ personal cup. The company also brought back free refills of hot brewed or iced coffee, or hot or iced tea for dine-in customers during the same visit.

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In November, the coffee giant also stopped charging customers for soy milk, oat milk, almond milk and coconut milk at company-owned and operated locations in the U.S. and Canada. The move resulted in a 10% price drop for customers that customize their drinks with non-dairy milk, according to the company,

As part of its strategy to improve workforce morale, the company plans to double its paid parental leave benefits this spring. For some workers, it’s as much as three times the original amount.

January 29, 2025
Starbucks customers to see condiment bars and ‘for here’ drinks in mugs in US, Canada

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol tells FOX Business why the company enhanced its parental leave benefit.

Starbucks customers in the U.S. and Canada will notice some changes when they visit the coffee chain’s locations on Monday.

Condiment bars will return to Starbucks locations, according to the Seattle-based company. At the condiment bars, customers will have the ability to “add the finishing touches to [their] beverage with the return of creamer and milk, along with a variety of sweeteners,” Starbucks said.

THE NEW STARBUCKS STRATEGY: WILL CEO BRIAN NICCOL’S PLAN WORK?

The company also said baristas at locations in the U.S. and Canada will put “any” drinks ordered “for here” in coffee mugs, glasses or customers’ “clean personal cup brought from home” beginning Monday.

People pass by a Starbucks coffee shop in Manhattan on Jan. 15, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via / Getty Images)

Dine-in customers will now be allowed free refills of hot brewed or iced coffee, or hot or iced tea during the same visit to the store, according to the company. Cold brew, nitro cold brew, iced tea lemonade, flavored iced tea or refreshers are not eligible for free refills.

The chain has put an updated “Coffeehouse Code of Conduct” into effect as well.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

SBUX STARBUCKS CORP. 98.81 +0.82 +0.84%

“Our Coffeehouse Code of Conduct is something most retailers have and is designed to provide clarity that our spaces – including our cafes, patios and restrooms – are for use by customers and partners,” the company said.

STARBUCKS REVERSES OPEN BATHROOM POLICY

The code of conduct also prohibits discrimination, violence, consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, drug use and panhandling, among other things, at its locations.

Starbucks Coffee signage in Warsaw, Poland, on July 31, 2024. (Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via / Getty Images)

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in late October that the chain would re-implement the in-store condiment bars and start using mugs for people drinking their beverages in-store.

At the time, he also detailed other changes the company was looking to make, including to “cut down our overly complex menu to align with our core identity as a coffee house company,” to “take steps to better separate mobile order pickup from the cafe experience” and to bring back the practice of baristas using Sharpie markers.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in late October that baristas would bring back the practice of using Sharpie markers. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via / Getty Images)

In early November, Starbucks ditched the fee it charges to customers who substitute non-dairy milk in drinks at company-owned and operated locations in the U.S. and Canada.

STARBUCKS CORPORATE LAYOFFS LOOMING IN MARCH: CEO

“It is clear we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers and return to growth. Back to Starbucks is that fundamental change,” Niccol said in October. “We have to get back to what has always set Starbucks apart, a welcoming coffee house where people gather and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas.”

January 27, 2025
Starbucks corporate layoffs looming in March: CEO

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the companys app needs to be more transparent on pricing.

The global coffeehouse chain Starbucks will be cutting corporate jobs as its CEO Brian Niccol continues to implement changes to bolster lagging sales and improve profitability.

Niccol made the announcement via a notice to employees that was also posted on the Starbucks website.

He highlighted how the company aims to deliver on its “Back to Starbucks” strategy, a series of changes announced last year that aims to enhance customers’ in-store experience, but also said it needs to strive for better efficiency, which will ultimately result in layoffs.

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“We have recently begun the work to define the support organization for the future. We are approaching this work thoughtfully, but it will involve difficult decisions and choices. I expect that, unfortunately, we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward,” Niccol wrote.

People pass by a Starbucks coffee shop in Manhattan, New York, United States on Jan. 15, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“This work will not affect our in-store teams or the investments we are making in store hours. We will communicate changes by early March.”

He said he does not take such decisions lightly and wanted to be transparent about his plans in order to ensure that employees heard about the plans directly from him. It is unclear how many people will be let go.

Niccol, who took over as CEO in September, has emphasized the need for the company to get back to its roots as a coffee house.

The “Back to Starbucks” strategy aims to bring back some of the things that made the company the most recognizable coffee brand in the world.

That includes bringing back condiment bars to stores and enhancing the coffee house aesthetic with personal touches, such as serving coffee in ceramic mugs.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, pictured in 2015 (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Starbucks is also reintroducing the use of Sharpies to write customers’ names on cups and will stop charging extra for customizing beverages with non-dairy milk.

The company has also set a goal of a four-minute wait time in cafés and has provided additional coverage hours in over 3,000 stores.

Earlier this month, the company said it would only welcome paying customers to hang out and utilize the restrooms at its stores. The move was done to prioritize paying customers who want to sit and enjoy its cafés.

Starting this spring, the company will double its paid parental leave benefits for workers. The company previously offered six weeks of paid time off for parental leave.

Among its latest goals to create a positive work culture, the company also committed to filling 90% of retail leadership roles internally, to ensure employees stay longer and grow with the company. It is also continuing to cover 100% of college tuition for thousands of employees as part of its Starbucks College Achievement Plan and offering company stock to eligible partners.

“We have much more work to do but I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made and appreciate how everyone has rallied around the plan,” Niccol wrote to workers.

Starbucks Coffee cup is seen in this illustration photo taken at the cafe in Manama, Bahrain on March 5, 2024 (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Before Niccol took over, the company faced growing pressure from unionization campaigns across the nation and back-to-back disappointing fiscal quarters as traffic declined. Niccol, who replaced former CEO Laxman Narasimhan in August, is trying to boost profitability and create a better environment for workers.

Niccol has also faced employees striking at hundreds of stores nationwide.

Fox Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.

January 23, 2025