WSJ: Starbucks to Reinstate Condiment Bar

Also, the company’s CEO pledged not to raise U.S. prices over the next year.

October 31, 2024

In the wake of Covid, many coffee shops removed cream and sugar stations and put condiments behind the counter. Starbucks largely hasn’t returned the station to its stores, though its licensees operating at hotels, airports, grocery stores and other locations were allowed to do so, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The missing condiment bars in cafes became a “lightning rod for customers after the company permanently closed them. Starbucks patrons have complained that baristas are often too rushed to capture their milk and sugar needs accurately and that self-service stations were important in cafes,” reported the WSJ.

Per the WSJ, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the company would restore a station with milk and sugar to its thousands of U.S. cafes beginning in 2025.

“Our customers are asking for it, and our baristas are saying it would help them deliver the speed of service that they want to provide,” Niccol said about the condiment bar’s return to Starbucks. “We have to make it easier for our customers to get a cup of coffee.”

Niccol also said that the coffee chain has pledged to not raise prices in the U.S. over the coming year. Earlier this month, Starbucks released its preliminary earnings report early, and then suspended its financial guidance for the rest of the year.

“The company said it expected to build and renovate fewer stores in 2025 than it initially anticipated as it contemplates a new cafe design,” wrote the WSJ.

ABC23 reported that Starbucks will stop charging extra for non-dairy milk in its drinks. “The move to not charge for milk substitutes will take effect on November 7, when Starbucks launches its holiday menu,” reported ABC23.

Part of the CEO’s new strategy also includes scaling back promotional offers through its mobile app. Instead, the company wants more of its customers to pay full price for its coffees and teas, according to CNN Business.

Starbucks also isn’t planning to run broad offers during the holiday season, and instead aims to promote seasonal drinks through advertising, according to the WSJ.