Ceramic mugs, the return of cups labelled by Sharpie pen and a menu price freeze were among plans detailed by Starbucks’ new chief executive on Wednesday as he attempts to stem a sharp decline in customer traffic.
Brian Niccol outlined the changes in his inaugural call with Wall Street analysts after his arrival last month at the world’s largest coffee chain, which has suffered a dismal year marked by contracting sales.
Niccol has said Starbucks needs to get back to its roots as a coffee house where people linger, while rethinking its pricing and whittling down an “overly complex” menu, which slows down service and stresses out baristas.