Starbucks to deploy enhanced staffing model across North America
Global coffee house chain Starbucks chairman and CEO Brian Niccol is implementing a new staffing and service framework across the entire network of 18,000 outlets in North America.
Niccol told Reuters that the company aims to deploy and complete the initiative by the close of summer 2025 – an advancement from the original strategy which targeted only a third of US locations by the end of the year.
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During the earnings call, Niccol stated: “We’ll launch a pilot across 700 stores looking at staffing levels to improve our Green Apron partners’ ability to serve”.
He went on to say that pilot tests have demonstrated a rise in sales with the new model.
The Green Apron blueprint encompasses the integration of in-store technological solutions designed to sequence orders with greater efficiency, alongside the allocation of a specialised barista to exclusively manage drive-through orders.
The company has gathered more than 14,000 coffeehouse leaders from across North America in Las Vegas for a three-day event on 10 June and 11 June. Leadership Experience 2025 (LE25) is led by Niccol and COO Mike Grams and is the company’s largest leadership event to date.
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By GlobalDataLE25 is a major step in Starbucks’ turnaround strategy, which is focused on exceptional service, simplified routines and deeper customer connections. The event aims to set new customer service standards and reinforce the company’s commitment to hospitality, targeting a four-minute wait time without sacrificing the warmth of the Starbucks experience.
At the summit, Niccol told Reuters: “We’ve learned, and now we know what we need to do, so let’s scale it.”
Grams stated that since the introduction of the “Back to Starbucks” strategy in September 2024, customers have noticed improvements: “welcoming spaces, more confident baristas, faster service and the return of small but meaningful personal touches such as like ceramic mugs, and handwritten notes on cups, a more consistent dress code, and a much-loved customer favourite: the condiment bar.”
The strategy aims to revitalise the brand by enhancing the unique coffeehouse experience for which Starbucks is known.
The company’s initial efforts have concentrated on improving the store experience in the US and Canada. However, Starbucks is also evaluating the structure and size of its global support teams as part of its transformation efforts.
The “Back to Starbucks” initiative has yielded positive results, with record-high shift completion rates, turnover rates below industry average and rising partner engagement scores.
An internal survey has revealed that 84% of US store partners participated, with a majority recommending Starbucks as a great place to work.
Grams went on: “LE25 is our moment to recommit to a culture of hospitality and excellence. We’re making progress, have real momentum with our ‘Back to Starbucks’ plan and are on the right track to turn the business around.”
“We’re listening and testing in the coffeehouse, and then applying our learnings to scale quickly and enhance the customer and partner experience.”
In May 2025, private sector union United Steelworkers (USW) negotiated initial collective bargaining agreements for five newly unionised Starbucks locations in Ontario, Canada.
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