Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has announced an accelerated rollout of the coffee chain’s new staffing and service strategy, known as the Green Apron model, across all 18,000 North American stores by the end of summer.
Originally set to reach just a third of US stores by year-end, the initiative is now central to Niccol’s broader turnaround plan, which aims to revive sales growth by enhancing the in-store experience and reducing reliance on mobile and to-go orders.
Speaking at Starbucks’ leadership summit in Las Vegas, Niccol said early results from the 700-store pilot show faster service times and improved sales. “We’ve learned, and now we know what we need to do, so let’s scale it,” he told Reuters.
The Green Apron model incorporates in-store technology to streamline order sequencing and introduces dedicated baristas for drive-through customers. Starbucks is targeting average order wait times of under four minutes.
Niccol, who became CEO in September, is steering the company “Back to Starbucks”, a strategy that refocuses on traditional coffeehouse service. While financial details on the rollout remain undisclosed, Niccol said Starbucks will host an investor day in 2026 to share updates.
Despite the renewed focus, analysts remain cautious. TD Cowen recently downgraded Starbucks from “buy” to “hold,” citing concerns that Niccol’s turnaround may take longer than anticipated. Over the past five years, Starbucks shares have gained 11%, lagging behind the S&P 500’s 88% rise.
Niccol urged investors not to measure success by short-term earnings per share but instead by operational performance metrics like customer wait times.
He added that while the company will continue investing in its workforce and store experience, it will be “ruthless” in cutting costs unrelated to the strategy.
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