Starbucks is cutting 13 drinks from its menu, but is offering some alternatives for customers who might miss them.
Starting Monday, March 3, the company will remove drinks like the Iced Matcha Lemonade and Espresso Frappuccino, replacing them with better-selling items. To help ease the transition, Starbucks (SBUX) is suggesting classic drinks that customers can customize to their liking.
This change is part of CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” strategy, which aims to trim about 30% of the company’s menu by September 2025 to make room for new items. Niccol has emphasized returning to Starbucks’ coffeehouse roots, focusing on quicker service, including fresh-brewed coffee in just four minutes.
In addition to the menu changes, Starbucks has imposed restrictions on app orders, limiting customers to 12 items at a time. As part of this big fix, the company has also reintroduced ceramic mugs, and handwritten notes on cups, though the latter has left baristas a bit more frazzled.
The Seattle-based coffee chain is also returning to good ol’ fashion TV ads and has brought on two former Taco Bell executives. The company plans to bring back condiment bars and says it will increase hiring efforts, though it recently slashed thousands of corporate roles. Additionally, Starbucks will cut the extra cost for non-dairy milk alternatives and maintain steady prices through 2025.
Despite these efforts, not all of Starbucks’ changes have been popular. The company’s reversal of its open-door policy, following the arrest of two Black men at a Philadelphia store in 2018, has sparked backlash. Niccol has stated the company stands by this policy shift, noting that Starbucks would rather close locations than revert to its previous stance.
These cuts and operational changes come as Starbucks faces declining sales and rising competition, especially in China, its second-largest market. Local brands like Luckin’ Coffee (LKNCY) and the growing bubble tea giant Mixue Group are among those steadily snatching market share.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of the classics Starbucks is suggesting in lieu of those it is nixing.
