STARBUCKS has launched its own version of a viral TikTok trend with a twist, just after it axed 13 items from its menu.
The coffee giant is making big moves to get back to its former glory, as the CEO says “it’s time for us to lead again”.
Starbucks has launched its own version of a viral TikTok trend with a twist, just after it axed 13 items from its menu[/caption]
Starbucks is following the trends these days, and is joining the protein coffee game to prove it.
The company is currently testing out a new cold foam option that adds 15 grams of protein to its drinks, along with an unsweetened protein powder.
The new drink being trialled is a sugar-free vanilla latte with banana foam, which is the thing that contains the protein.
Starbucks is testing out the drink at 5 locations currently, and a potential full launch date has not yet been confirmed.
CEO Brian Niccol is being upfront about where his innovation is leading him, and which direction he is going in.
He said: “It’s on trend. It’s delicious.”
The CEO also told Axios: “I was watching people coming to our stores, they would get three shots of espresso over ice.
“And in some cases, they pull their own protein powder out of their bag, or in other cases, they have a protein drink, like a Fair Life and they’d pour that into their drink.
“I’m like, well, wait a second, we can make this experience better for them.
“The good news is now I think we’re right on trend, and we can do it I think arguably better than anybody else.”
Other companies, like the coffee chain Dutch Bros, have already jumped on the high-protein train.
It comes as more and more members of Gen Z show an interest in health beverages.
CEO INNOVATION
Brian Niccol has been vocal about the innovative new steps he wants Starbucks to be taking.
Brian Niccol has declared that it is time to “lead in warm, welcoming coffee houses.
Starbucks’ hiring spree
Starbucks has launched one of of the biggest hiring sprees in its history, adding as many as 85,000 workers across 17,000 spots in the US.
Customers have complained of long wait times, and Starbucks spots have on average lost four to five workers in the past five years.
The hiring blitz has been praised by Niccol, who says it will take the pressure off of overworked employees.
To re-store staffing levels to pre-Covid numbers, Starbucks would have to hire between 68,000 and 85,000 people across all of its stores in the US.
Even if it focused only on the 11,000 company-owned locations, the increase would still need to hit between 44,000 and 50,000 new employees.
Niccol has previously spoken about the need for third places, and that Starbucks can act as those locations.
The additional hires will help the CEO fulfil his vision for Starbucks as a place of community.
He said: “We over-rotated on the idea of equipment and that replacing the humanity of service.
“And I think service is our point of difference.
“Despite everybody saying they’re more connected than ever, everything I read is people feel more lonely than ever.
“I think part of the problem is there aren’t enough third places anymore.”
“We’re going to lead in innovation. Innovation to our menu.”
Earlier this year, he oversaw 30% cuts to both beverages and food in an effort to “clear the noise out both in food and beverage menus.”
Niccol later justified himself in an earnings call: “That opens the door for better innovation that will hopefully resonate even more so for our customers.
“We’ve taken steps to refocus the business, our mission and our marketing to better align with our identity as a coffee company.”
In place of the cuts, Starbucks is adding new items to its menu for the summer, including two new bakery items.
These include a raspberry croissant filled with jam and a double chocolate cookie topped with flaky sea salt.
The drinks menu is also being updated with new offerings and new twists on familiar favorites.
A new coffee, dubbed the Starbucks 1971 Roast, is coming to Starbucks spots in the US and Canada this winter.
The drink offers a dark roast blend of beans from Sumatra, Colombia and Brazil.
Starbucks is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of its iconic Frappuccino with the Strato Frappuccino.
Strato, which means “layer” in Italian, adds a cloud of cold foam on top of any Frappuccino flavor.
