A Starbucks corporate video was released on October 22, 2024 from CEO Brian Niccol about the upcoming changes being made to improve what Niccol calls the “community coffee house”. From the environment to the menu, the community was informed of the many changes that would be occurring in the near future.
As of March 4, 2025, 1,100 corporate employees were laid off to allow the company to operate in the most efficient way possible. With this, the menu also removed 13 different drinks, including most of the Creme Frappuccinos. All of these changes are being implemented in order to “reduce complexity” within Starbucks. “We’re prioritizing our brand, highlighting the handcrafted products customers expect, and showcasing the coffee innovation that sets Starbucks apart,” CEO Brian Niccol said.
We tried 5 out of the 13 discontinued drinks just to see if they should really be going away.
- Caramel Ribbon Crunch Creme Frap
6.5/10 – Too much caramel, but smooth. This drink is a great sweet treat for anytime of the day, but almost identical to the normal caramel ribbon crunch. The texture is slightly thicker due to the creme, but still delightful.
- White Chocolate Creme Frap
4.5/10 – Like a sweet punch to the face. Tastes oddly similar to the vanilla bean frappe, and the consistency is very smoothie-like.
- Royal Breakfast Latte
4.5/10 – Very similar to a London fog, but very light. For tea enjoyers, this is a lovely option anytime of the day, with a calming floral flavor.
- Honey Almond Flat White
2.5/10 – Very coffee, just espresso. Not the most flavorful of drinks, only having the slightest hint of honey and almond. Very simple and plain, fine for any time of the day.
- Chai Creme Frap
9.5/10 – Nice and sweet like a normal chai, with a thicker consistency due to the creme. Another great sweet treat for a nice warm day, with a smooth texture and great taste.
On March 4, 2025 the spring launch was released with a returning luscious lavender matcha and latte, and a new captivating cherry chai. The lavender drink matcha has a cool, bright green color with the pastel lavender on top making an ombre. The lavender latte has a light coffee color with a hint of the lavender in the bottom. The cherry chai is a light brown color, topped with the pink cold foam drizzling down into the chai, and topped with pink and tan sprinkles.
With this last launch of drinks being brought in to welcome the incoming season, it is not to overlook the changes being made to the company as a whole.
“People love Starbucks, but I’ve heard from some customers that we’ve drifted from our core, that we’ve made it harder to be a customer than it should be, and that we’ve stopped communicating with them.”
These initiatives are being put in place to restore Starbucks to its known greatness, and rebuild the community it once knew. For the past few years, the company has been on a steady decline as people don’t want a place to sit and enjoy, but a place to just pick up their order on their commute to work.
This rebuilding of the community is also responsible for the change in the amount of drinks you can order on the app, refillable cups, and the encouraged writing on cups.
As of February 2025, the amount of drinks that you can order on the app decreased from fifteen to twelve, in order to reduce stress and ease the workload on baristas during the busy morning hours. Starbucks also began offering refillable mugs and glass cups when you choose to stay at the establishment, a less wasteful and more homely way to improve on the community building efforts.
These changes also come along with the new rule for baristas to write something more on a plastic or paper cup when you order as another way to connect the community. Although this can be a very meaningful action for some, many baristas complain about how they have no time to write on every cup and how it makes it feel “in-genuine” to write on every cup.
CEO Niccol believes that these changes are key in continuing to grow Starbucks and return it to its former glory.
“That means focusing 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.”
Starbucks has big plans to improve its company moving forward, and trying to transition back to its original community coffee house that everyone enjoyed. Ranging from new policies and drinks, to different in-house implements, the company is back on the path to bring Starbucks back to its roots—the beloved, simple, community coffee house.
