Starbucks Plans To Hire More Baristas And Reduce Automation As Part Of Plan To Attract Customers Back – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks is planning to hire more baristas and reduce automation plans as part of its strategy to attract customers. This comes as other food and drink chains are increasingly adopting technology to cut costs. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, who was brought in last year to turn the business around, said that removing labor from stores was not an accurate assumption.

Starbucks has been testing increasing staff numbers in a few stores since joining the firm in September 2024. He has been expanding the approach to include around 3,000 stores this year. The company will also pull back from deploying its Siren Craft System, a suite of technology and equipment introduced in 2022 to streamline drink-making.

In addition to hiring more baristas, Starbucks is revamping its coffee shops, menus, and dress code. In April, Starbucks announced that its baristas would wear dark, single-colored shirts to create a sense of familiarity for customers. In January, Starbucks reversed rules for its North American cafes that allowed people to use facilities even if they had not bought anything.

However, Starbucks’ turnaround efforts have seen limited results. The company’s latest financial figures showed global sales fell by 1% in the three months to the end of March, the fifth quarterly decline in a row. However, sales rose in China and Canada. Starbucks shares fell by more than 6.5% in extended trading after the earnings were announced.

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