Starbucks Corp is placing some limits on its mobile orders, part of a broader plan to speed up service and contain a deluge of purchases through the app that often overwhelm baristas.
The coffee chain is reducing the number of items allowed per order to 12 from 15. It also removed the ability to add a splash of milk or lemonade to a classic Refresher, because there are already beverages on the menu that include those modifications.
Also gone is the option to order a caffè americano without water. The 12-ounce version of that beverage – a doppio, or two shots of espresso – is already offered as a menu item.
Starbucks confirmed the changes in response to an inquiry from Bloomberg News.
It’s part of chief executive officer Brian Niccol’s mission to make ordering and working at Starbucks less chaotic. Large orders with numerous modifications make it difficult for baristas to keep up, leading to delays that have turned off many customers and contributed to sales declines.
About three-quarters of customised beverages have fewer than three modifications, according to Starbucks. Plenty of personalisation is still available. For example, customers can add cold foam and syrups to an americano, among other options, the Starbucks app shows.
Niccol, who took over in September, has pledged to improve customers’ experience, including by bringing order to the “free-for all” that forms at pickup counters as patrons wait for their food and drinks. The company is starting to test an algorithm to sequence mobile orders and developing an app feature that lets customers select designated pickup time slots.
Starbucks is also trimming about 30% of its food and beverage lineup by late September, while bringing back details designed to make stores feel cozier, from ceramic mugs to handwritten notes on cups. – Bloomberg
