Dive Brief:
- Starbucks is moving ahead with its Green Apron Service strategy starting in mid-August, emphasizing human connections, the company announced Tuesday.
- The three pillars of the strategy are new operating standards, a new staffing and deployment model that includes additional worker hours, and Smart Queue technology designed to help the company fulfill in-person orders within four minutes.
- The operating standards include five key customer service moments, according to a Starbucks spokesperson. They emphasize warmly greeting customers, offering glassware or a mug, crafting beverages with a message on the cup, making connections during handoff and keeping cafes welcoming and clean.
Dive Insight:
Starbucks has been testing Green Apron Service at 1,500 stores for the past eight weeks with promising results, the company said Tuesday.
The stores included in the pilot are already benefiting from faster service, stronger connections with customers, and greater employee engagement, according to Starbucks.
“It’s all about making every visit feel personal, whether it’s a friendly smile, remembering your name, or making your day just a little bit better,” Starbucks said in a blog post. “We’re giving our partners the time, tools, and support to hone their craft and connect with customers.”
Starbucks has been pursuing a turnaround since well before CEO Brian Niccol joined in 2024. When Niccol took the helm, he put a greater emphasis on improving the coffee chain’s core experience, including through a return to the brand’s coffeehouse roots and reducing long wait times caused by the popularity of mobile ordering.
Early investments have shown signs of paying off. Global comparable sales declined 1% year over year in the second quarter of 2025 — a significant improvement from the 4% year-over-year decline Starbucks reported in the first quarter of 2025. The company is scheduled to report Q3 2025 earnings after market close Tuesday.
The Green Apron Service strategy builds on CX investments Starbucks has already made. The company started testing Green Dot Assist, a virtual assistant designed to improve workflows, at 35 stores in June. Starbucks is also exploring a new point-of-sales system that can improve order accuracy and workflow.
Starbucks is trying to improve operations through a full-time assistant manager program that it plans to roll out across the Starbucks ecosystem by 2026. Under the program, assistant managers help run the store, oversee teams and serve customers.
