Starbucks may’ve miscalculated with its mandatory-note policy.
The coffee giant’s new rule, requiring baristas to write personal messages on every cup, was meant to foster meaningful moments with customers. Instead, it’s sparking confusion, satire, and underwhelm. Dozens of early reactions on social media suggest the policy is missing the mark — at least for now.
One viral TikTok video with over 140,000 likes features a cup with vaguely flirtatious scribbles and says, “The new Starbucks (SBUX-0.90%) policy is gonna ruin relationships, because what is this?” Another user shared their frustration: “When I’d randomly get a message on my cup, it made my day, but now that it’s mandatory, it’s like, oh…”
Launched just weeks ago, the initiative is part of CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Basics” plan, aimed at returning Starbucks to its roots and premium status. The handwritten notes will become mandatory starting Feb. 24 and are meant to add personal flare, with employees encouraged to include a customer’s name or phrases like “seize the day,” according to a memo shared with Bloomberg. To accommodate the added task, stores will receive extra hours.
The personalized touch is part of a broader push to streamline operations after Starbucks reported a fourth consecutive quarter of declining sales. Beyond notes, the company has introduced other changes as part of its turnaround plan, including limiting mobile orders to 12 items per customers and reintroducing coffeehouse staples such as condiment bars and ceramic mugs. Starbucks also plans to air a commercial during the Super Bowl to boost the brand.
The changes don’t stop there. Starbucks is trimming its menu by 30%, removing items that don’t sell, and promises to deliver fresh-brewed coffee in just four minutes. It’s adding vegan options such as falafel and eliminating charges for non-dairy milk alternatives. Additionally, it says prices will remain steady through fiscal 2025. To help with operations, the company hired two former Taco Bell executives to oversee operations and customer experience.
Starbucks says it’s hiring more employees to better equip its roughly 700 locations, but these moves come at a time when contract negotiations with workers have stalled as they demand better pay and working conditions. Starbucks simultaneously plans to lay off workers, but neither the exact number of cuts nor the types roles affected have been revealed; Niccol promised more details in the next 60 days. In Oct. 2024, the company told corporate employees they must return to the office three days a week or quit.
The company is also reversing its open-door policy, restricting bathroom access to paying customers only. This is a sharp reversal from its 2018 decision to open bathrooms to everyone, after a Philadelphia store called the police on two Black men who were waiting for a friend.
Starbucks has said it will ramp up security in stores, without sharing specifics. According to Niccol, the company may close certain locations if workers don’t feel “supported and protected.” Altogether, the overhaul at Starbucks is clearly an attempt at a makeover, but whether it will succeed in revitalizing the brand remains to be seen.
“Trying to look for my motivational quotes from Starbies and nothing,” wrote one TikTok user.
The post Starbucks wanted connection with handwritten notes on cups. It got chaos instead appeared first on Quartz.
