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The Street

Jena Warburton

Starbucks makes major change that will delight customers

Starbucks Costco

Between cramped train rides, seemingly endless traffic, earlier wake up times, and chilly winter mornings, there are a lot of reasons people might not look forward to their daily commute.

But introducing a morning coffee shop run to that commute might just help make the whole process seem a little happier.

And with around 16,000 locations around the United States, the odds that your morning commute takes you right to a Starbucks (SBUX) are pretty good.

Starbucks is beloved by millions for its range of choices. If you want a reliable cup of hot coffee, they've got that for you. If you want an iced latte with skim milk and a vanilla flavor shot, they've got that, too. And if you want a honey almond milk flat white with non-dairy sugar cookie cold foam cream and four shots of espresso, they've also got that.

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The coffee chain prides itself in its choose-your-own-adventure cafe style; Starbucks itself estimates there are over 87,000 drink possible combinations — though some outside estimates put that number at closer to 300 billion. It really depends on how creative — and in need of caffeine — you're feeling.

Starbucks is responding to one big customer complaint by promising to reduce the time from order to delivery by nearly one minute.
Image source&colon; Starbucks

Starbucks is solving for common issues

But Starbucks is far from perfect.

One of the most common complaints is that Starbucks is too customizable. Baristas and customers alike agree that food and drink preparation can take far longer than seems necessary, and it slows down business.

It's not uncommon to step into a Starbucks cafe and see the line winding around the store, or wait 10 or more minutes for a seemingly simple drink during a busy hour, just because there's a backlog.

Starbucks is aware of this problem. It's investing about $2.5 billion to modernize and improve its stores over the next couple of years, which includes installing its new Siren System into stores.

The Siren System, among other improvements, is expected to help cut down on the number of steps necessary to prepare drinks.

By 2026, Starbucks expects 40% of its stores to have the new systems, which include "a custom ice dispenser, milk-dispensing system and new, faster blenders all located within reach of a barista," says the cafe chain.

These improvements are expected to cut the average order time down from 87 seconds and 16 steps to 36 seconds and 13 steps — a marked improvement that should be noticed quickly.

Starbucks keeps improving

That's not it, though.

In January, Starbucks announced it will bring back several customer favorites that it did away with during the pandemic, when things got hectic (and a little too streamlined, according to some people).

Beginning on Monday, Starbucks is bringing back free refills for customers who order any beverage "for here." They can get refills of hot or iced tea or coffee.

Starbucks is also bringing back its popular condiment bar, which was removed during covid. The bar includes creamers, milk, and sweeteners. And customers can request different creamers or sweeteners if they don't see them stocked while they're filling up.

Starbucks is also updating its code of conduct. The new code includes the following behavioral requirements: