Starbucks ramps up N America staffing plan

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol told Reuters on Tuesday that he would accelerate the rollout of the coffeehouse chain’s new staffing and service model, aiming for all 18,000 North American stores by summer's end, rather than the initial plan for just a third of US stores by year-end.

- WAYLON CUNNINGHAM

Mr Niccol says the model is a foundational element of his turnaround strategy for the company, as he bets on an improved in-store customer experience to reclaim the sales growth that has eluded Starbucks in recent quarters.

Mr Niccol said early tests of the model have sped up service times and grown sales, without providing specifics. “We've learned, and now we know what we need to do, so let's scale it,’ he told Reuters at the company’s three-day leadership summit in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The Green Apron model includes in-store technology to more efficiently sequence orders, as well as a dedicated barista for drive-through orders. Starbucks rolled out the service changes to 700 stores initially.