"In 2024, Brian Niccol took over as the CEO of Starbucks. With his arrival, he promised a big revamp, - dubbed "Back to Starbucks" - that emphasized the overall experience a person has from when they enter Starbucks to when they receive their order. Niccol's strategy is customer-centered, including initiatives like the return of a classic, in-store café feature and an the updated message-writing policy that requires baristas to write cutesy messages on the cups."
"As a part of the changes, Starbucks fundamentally changed its menu in 2025, leading to many customers being unhappy with the service. Not only are some menu items gone, others now cost more - and the time it takes to get them seems longer than ever. Even after Niccol's implementation of Smart Queue in July 2025, which was supposed to ensure every customer got served within four minutes, people have been known to wait as much as 30 un-caffeinated minutes at some locations."
"Starbucks employees have been speaking out about the fact that the implemented changes have made their job a lot harder. They now need to be happy greeters, fun message writers, and proficient coffee artists - all at the same time. Store managers are allegedly watching them like hawks, ensuring the baristas are sticking to the latest Starbucks employee dress code and maintaining a positive attitude. But, that doesn't seem to be going too well."
Brian Niccol became Starbucks CEO in 2024 and launched the "Back to Starbucks" customer-focused revamp emphasizing in-store experience, classic café features, and playful cup messages. The menu was fundamentally changed in 2025, removing items, raising prices, and increasing service times. Smart Queue debuted in July 2025 to limit waits to four minutes but some locations reported waits up to 30 minutes. As revenue and share prices fell, employees reported increased workload and pressure to act as greeters, message-writers, and coffee artists while managers enforced dress code and positivity. Customer dissatisfaction and strained employees followed the changes.
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