In the Face of Falling Revenue, Starbucks Quietly Discontinues Its Value Meal

Starbucks introduced the “value menu wars” in June, offering a limited-time deal called the Pairings Menu. The deal included hot or iced coffee or tea with a croissant for $5, or a breakfast sandwich with a coffee or tea for $6. Customers could also swap in a Double Smoked Bacon or Impossible breakfast sandwich for $7. While the promotion was initially cast as a limited-time offer, it seemed possible the promotion was actually a trial period to determine if a value meal would become a permanent fixture for the coffee chain.

In the face of economic uncertainty and customer discontent regarding rising fast-food prices, it seemed that every chain was pivoting to value meals, from Taco Bell’s $7 Luxe Cravings Box to McDonald’s $5 Value Meal. However, less than a week after Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan’s latest earnings call with analysts last Wednesday, the company quietly discontinued its value meal.

Users of the Starbucks app noticed the Pairings Menu was no longer available on the platform, and the landing page for the promotion was directing visitors back to the Starbucks homepage. Some users took to r/Starbucks, the subreddit dedicated to the chain, to express their disappointment and see if it was possibly a temporary glitch. Some subreddit members who identified themselves as Starbucks employees reported that the promotion had, indeed, been discontinued.

Later that evening, a representative from Starbucks corporate confirmed to Salon that the promotion had been discontinued. Starbucks has a long history of surprising and delighting customers with periodic offers and promotions such as Double Star Days, Buy One Share One offers, 50% off beverages, and more. A Starbucks spokesperson wrote via email that “Starbucks Pairings were a limited time offer, and we look forward to continuing to create value for our customers through compelling offers.”

The promotion was not without its detractors. Fox Business collected a handful of customer complaints about the relative value (or perceived lack thereof) of the deal for an article headlined: “Starbucks ‘Pairings Menu’ panned: ‘Where’s the meal?’” However, some staff members in r/starbucks have simply attributed the discontinuation of the menu to bad timing. For now, it looks like Starbucks may be refocusing on delivery in the next quarter. In June, the chain announced it would begin delivery via GrubHub in select markets in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Illinois, with national availability anticipated in all 50 states across the U.S. by this month.

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