How ‘Back to Starbucks’ is reshaping every aspect of the coffeehouse experience

• 16 min read
• September 8, 2025

On a sunny, late summer morning, Brian Niccol waved and smiled as he walked past a patio table of lively retirees and another of teenagers preparing for high school orientation and into a Starbucks coffeehouse in the Park Ridge neighborhood of Chicago.

It was just a few days into his trip and the Starbucks chairman and chief executive officer had already visited almost a dozen coffeehouses across the Midwest to support the rollout of Green Apron Service, an initiative designed to foster a warm and welcoming environment in cafés, create more space for barista-customer connection and accelerate order delivery.

It was barely 9 a.m. but the coffeehouse was an absolute vibe. Starbucks partners behind the bar bopped to hits of the '80s. They called out greetings to a steady stream of customers stopping in for morning sustenance. They refilled the mugs of regulars who were posted up reading, visiting with friends or WFS (working from Starbucks). They wrote "Hello again" and "Have a great day!" on to-go lattes, cold brews and Americanos for pilots in uniform, grandmothers, students and families.

This vibe is exactly what Niccol envisioned a year ago when he joined Starbucks on Sept. 9, 2024. The next day, in an open letter to Starbucks partners, customers, and shareholders, he promised to "get back to what makes Starbucks, Starbucks" while also laying a foundation for future opportunity and growth.

"Our stores have always been more than a place to get a drink," he wrote.

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."

'It's working'

Senior leaders reiterate it will take some time to stabilize, reset and grow the business. But in the first year of Back to Starbucks, the company has rolled out a steady drumbeat of initiatives and innovations aimed at driving momentum and results, but also at building confidence and excitement among partners, customers and investors all at once.

It already seems to be working, with a host of positive signals ranging from rising retail partner engagement and record-low turnover to the strongest single Tuesday and week of sales in company history the week Pumpkin Spice Latte and other fall favorites returned.

Last month, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz told partners he's been to coffeehouses all over the world this year and can already see and feel the difference.

"It's working," he said. "It's so much energy and pride, and you can feel it in the stores, and it's wonderful for me to witness."

For Marcie Beresford, a 12-year Starbucks coffeehouse leader in Indiana known for her love of coffee, deep community involvement, and tireless mentorship, the last year has felt like coming home in the best way possible.

How it started, how it's going

After five-plus decades of defining the coffeehouse experience in North America and beyond - including a couple of significant business reinventions - Starbucks entered 2024 facing a convergence of headwinds that once again threatened to test its resilience. From shifting consumer habits and operational complexity amid a global pandemic to geopolitical tensions, rising inflation, and intensifying competition, the brand found itself at a crossroads.

Last August, when news broke of Niccol's hiring, former board chair Mellody Hobson told partners and the media she recognized these challenges had culminated in a critical moment in Starbucks history - and underscored the urgent need for a turnaround led by someone with deep brand, customer service and operations experience, and a proven track record.

"We knew we needed someone who could hit the ground running. Brian has been in this industry for decades. He understands the rhythm of the business. He understands the importance of the partner experience. And he's someone who's not afraid to make bold moves," Hobson told CNBC's Squawk Box, citing Niccol's success in revitalizing Chipotle and Taco Bell.

After he was hired, Niccol got to work building a leadership team that shares his vision and desire to focus and innovate at speed, while preserving the core of what differentiates the 55-year-old brand in the first place: excelling at the intersection of coffee and human connection.

"There's a shared sense that we have drifted from our core," Niccol wrote in his first open letter on Sept. 10, 2024. "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 also reinstated the name: The Starbucks Coffee Company . He prioritized spending time in coffeehouses, speaking to partners and customers.

But with that goal came clear, unapologetic expectations: "Results count, not activities."

Every decision would now run through four filters: Is it good for the partner? The customer? On brand? Executable? If so, the mandate is clear: "Execute like crazy."

'Are you our new ceo?'

When Niccol and other senior leaders visit coffeehouses, it's not symbolic. They spend infinitely more time asking questions and listening than talking. They want to know everything - what's working, what isn't, what are the partners' ideas, what do they need.

Niccol's neighborhood has become a living case study for the momentum of Back to Starbucks. When he stopped in for coffee last fall, after it was announced he would join Starbucks but before he began as ceo, barista Krista was the first to recognize him. The then-pregnant barista and supervisor asked him point blank: "Are you our new ceo?"

Gloria, also a barista there at that time, remembers Niccol asking whether she had any feedback on one of his visits. "I told him that the condiment bar needed to come back because it would make it so much easier on the partners and the customers to better be able to personalize their drinks," she said.

And then just like that, condiment bars were back.

"I swear it was maybe a week after Gloria gave him that direct feedback that we saw the change come through," said Rose Hunt, a regional director of operations who originally joined Starbucks in1996, stayed until 2009 and returned in 2023. "It felt great to be heard."

She's seen Niccol and other senior leaders move quickly on a number of other ideas and suggestions ranging from offering customers who plan to stay ceramic cups and free refills, bringing back fan favorites like raspberry syrup, removing sugar from matcha powder, and getting rid of upcharges for non-dairy milks.

Hunt said she's been struck not only by his bias toward action and speed, but by his curiosity. "He asked about every part of the business. He wanted to know if we could get every order out in four minutes or less. I said, 'Hell yeah. We used to do it in three back in the day.'"

Manny Paz, the local district manager, spotted Niccol with his dog at the coffeehouse one day and decided to ask if they could get rid of some signage partners felt was cluttering the space.

"He said, 'Yeah, go ahead. You know what you have to do to create the right experience.' That felt empowering," Paz recalled.

Best job in retail

The Back to Starbucks plan has also brought benefits, new technology and other operational changes to give partners more time and space to do what they do best - craft coffee and connect with customers.

Coffeehouse partners working at least 20 hours a week average of $30 per hour in pay and benefits, including 100% upfront tuition coverage through Starbucks College Achievement Plan, comprehensive healthcare and up to 18 weeks of paid family leave. Over the summer, the company rolled out automated counting and began testing Green Dot Assist, tools that make partners' lives easier.

The company also invested $500 million to add more partners behind the bar and committed to hiring internally for 90 percent of leadership roles, including announcing a forthcoming assistant store manager role in all coffeehouses.

At the bustling Starbucks on the ground floor of downtown Chicago's iconic Willis Tower, district manager Alisha Townsend has seen firsthand how investments in staffing can transform both the partner and customer experience.

The Willis Tower coffeehouse was part of the Green Apron Service "Starting 5," a new program in which a group of five coffeehouses test innovations, operational changes and products so the company can quickly gather partner and customer feedback before wider company rollouts.

On any given weekday morning, the café is packed and buzzing with hundreds of customers; the team averages more than 200 beverages every 30 minutes. Earlier this year when Townsend was the coffeehouse leader, the cafe was scheduling more partners for the busiest times as part of the Green Apron Service pilot, she was able to schedule 23 partners to work a peak sales time that was formerly staffed by 12 partners.

The difference was immediate and tangible, she said.

"With this investment, we've been able to put the partners where we needed them to be," she said.

Vivian, a shift supervisor recently promoted to assistant store manager, echoed the remarkable transformation that came from having additional partners to help during the busiest times.

The best thing about this increase is the morale is up. I see people more excited," she said.

The increase in staffing also directly translates to an improved customer experience in both efficiency and human connection. "Whatever you're doing, it's working," one customer wrote about the Willis Tower coffeehouse.

"Now the customers are getting [orders] within four minutes in café," Townsend said, adding that because sales have continued to stay strong, she's been able to keep the additional partners on the floor and continue to create the experience her coffeehouse first piloted.

Both Townsend and Vivian have also reached their goals of advancing their careers - Townsend was recently promoted to district manager and Vivian is now an assistant store manager.

For Krista, the barista who is now a new mother, her favorite of the recently added partner tools and benefits arrived in December 2024, when Starbucks announced it was doubling paid parental leave for U.S. coffeehouse partners working an average of 20 weeks or more. Birth parents now receive up to 18 weeks of fully paid leave and non-birth parents receive up to 12. Niccol, himself a father of three, said the change was driven by conversations he'd had with fellow parents who are partners.

In June, the Las Vegas Sphere was transformed to look like an Iced Shaken Espresso when more than 14,000 Starbucks coffeehouse leaders gathered for Leadership Experience 2025.

Hosted by Niccol and the company's top executives over three days, it was the company's largest partner event in six years with three days of speakers, sessions and fun. There was even a live global barista championship in a packed arena. The goal: send North American coffeehouse leaders home energized, aligned and ready to move forward together.

"It felt like a launchpad for where we're going," wrote Jessica, a nearly 20-year coffeehouse leader from Illinois. "I came back with a renewed sense of purpose and a commitment to build a community where everyone feels empowered to deliver their best."

But the road back hasn't been without tough decisions.

Hard choices

As part of the turnaround, Starbucks made the difficult decision to eliminate 1,100 support roles in early 2025 - a move aimed at streamlining operations and accelerating execution. Niccol owned the decision and communicated the directive weeks before it was implemented.

And though analysts continue to praise the company's direction, the stock market remains cautious amid political and economic factors outside of Starbucks control.

While the tension is real, so is the resolve.

"We've done the hard work to fix what needed fixing and lay a strong operating foundation for the future," Niccol said. "While there's more to do, our partners are helping us build a better Starbucks and a green wave of hospitality that lets everyone experience the best of our brand."

Schultz is convinced Niccol is steering the company in the right direction.

"When I heard [Brian] speak for the first time about Back to Starbucks, I did a cartwheel in my living room!" Schultz told 14,000 coffeehouse leaders at LE25. "It's short, it's to the point, and it's exactly the tip of the spear of who we should be, and who we are."

'Makes you feel good to be here'

When Bill, a customer in Los Angeles, walks into his favorite Starbucks, he doesn't even have to say his name or what he wants to order. On a recent visit, he was greeted enthusiastically by partners, who chatted with him for a few minutes before handing him a venti iced green tea with "Bill's fuel!" written in Sharpie.

Bill likes that his favorite Starbucks drink tastes the same no matter what coffeehouse he visits anywhere in the world. But he loves the relationships he's built with partners like Bronson, who survived the horrendous Los Angeles wildfires in early 2025. Despite losing his childhood home to the disaster and moving away to temporary housing, Bronson asked to stay at his hometown coffeehouse for consistency and to help serve their community and first responders. This familiarity and friendship is the reason Bill now drives half an hour back to the Starbucks in his old neighborhood in Pasadena as often as he can.

Thousands of miles away in the charming town of Bromont in Quebec, Canada, customer Yolaine walks into her neighborhood Starbucks every morning. After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2024, the café became her sanctuary - a place where partners remember her name, ask about her health and offer comfort during her most difficult days.

"It's the only place in town where I feel truly welcomed," she said in her native French. "They don't just serve coffee. They serve love."

Whether it's coffeehouse leader Ana offering a hug or a barista preparing her favorite drink with a cheerful "See you tomorrow, Yolaine!", the experience always lifts her spirits. On a crisp spring morning in May, partners surprised their cherished regular after her final chemotherapy session by decorating the coffeehouse with balloons and pooling their money to treat her to a spa day.

Niccol wants that warm feeling to also extend to the physical spaces of the coffeehouses. Many are being refreshed with soft, cozy seating, warm paint and textures and designs that reflect the local community. Some coffeehouses have already been uplifted with plans for another 1,000 to be completed by the end of 2026 and more to come in the years after that. Earlier this year, Starbucks began offering ceramic mugs and glass cups for customers to use when they are in the cafe.

Looking to the future

Back at morning peak at the Starbucks in Chicago's Park Ridge Neighborhood, "Raspberry Beret" was playing. There was a wave of nervous excitement when Niccol and Mike Grams, chief operating officer, walked in, introduced themselves and ordered beverages and breakfast.

But if four-year partner Donovan was jittery, it did not show. The 23-year-old shift supervisor and regional barista champion approached Niccol and Grams with a tray of tasting cups.

"Hi, I'm Donovan. I created a signature beverage I'd like you to try."

"Yeah, absolutely," Niccol said, reaching for a cup. "What is it?"

"A chai nitro latte with oat milk."

Niccol raised an eyebrow and cocked his head before taking a sip.

"This is good," he said.

The ceo took another sip and nodded. "Can I get your email address?"

Donovan beamed. He developed his latest coffee invention, the "Chaitro," over many a closing shift and at home, where he experiments with ingredients and beverages as well as with beverage-making equipment, including a nitro keg he purchased online.

For Donovan, this moment was a culmination not just of four years as a Starbucks partner and his training as a coffee master but also of his family's deep love for coffee and coffeehouse culture. His grandmother gave him his first sip at age 2 (he loved it), and his grandfather, who fought in World War II, raised him on tales of trading coveted coffee for important intel. Some of Donovan's earliest and fondest memories are hanging out with his parents and brother at their neighborhood Starbucks, where the music was good, the baristas always remembered them, and getting to choose whatever they wanted from the menu felt like a treat every time.

Donovan said he's inspired by the return to the warm, welcoming coffeehouse hangout of his youth, but also by the culture of ideas and innovation. He can see a path and the tools to continue his growth - and to building a long-term career at Starbucks.

"After Covid I was yearning for more social interaction, and I definitely feel like I've found it," he said. "It also happens to be what Starbucks has always done best, and getting back to it this year is a breath of fresh air. This is what I signed up for. This is the place I want to be."

Photos by Joshua Trujillo