All the changes coming to Starbucks this year
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- Starbucks is in the middle of a turnaround effort.
- The coffee chain is making changes, including some later this month, aimed at improving sales.
- Here are the biggest shifts, from more free refills to the end of Starbucks' open-door policy.
Starbucks is starting off 2025 with some big changes.
Former Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol took the helm of the coffee chain in September. Since then, Starbucks has announced a series of shifts meant to get customers ordering drinks and food again.
The turnaround attempt comes as Starbucks' sales, both in the US and globally, fell during its fourth quarter.
Here are the biggest changes that Starbucks has announced over the last few months:
Starbucks will require a purchase to hang out
Starbucks visitors will have to order something or be with someone who does in order to hang out at one of the chain's stores, starting January 27.
The coffee chain confirmed the change on January 13. It replaces the previous open-door policy, which Starbucks implemented after two black men were arrested in 2018 after one asked to use the bathroom at a Philadelphia store without buying anything.
The new policy, part of the "Coffeehouse Code of Conduct," is meant to "prioritize our paying customers who want to sit and enjoy our cafés or need to use the restroom during their visit," a Starbucks spokesperson told Business Insider.
Starbucks is offering free refills to more patrons
Another change taking effect on January 27 will allow all Starbucks customers, not just members of the chain's rewards program, to get free refills on many brewed coffees and teas.
Customers can get them by using a clean reusable cup of their own or an in-house ceramic one provided by the chain. They also have to order their drinks in-store, and refills are only available on a beverage during a single visit.
Starbucks' self-serve condiment bars are returning
Starbucks said last year that it would bring back self-service condiment bars in early 2025.
The change means customers will have to add their own milk, sugar, and other condiments to their drinks instead of relying on baristas to do it behind the counter. It will cut the time it takes baristas to serve hot cups of coffee, Niccol said on an earnings call in October.
Rewards members are getting fewer promotions through the app
The days of plentiful buy-one-get-one-free Frappuccino deals appear to be over.
Starbucks has been cutting back the number of promotions that it has offered rewards members through its app, the Wall Street Journal reported in October. It's part of a push to make the coffee chain feel more upscale, the Journal reported at the time.
The change was welcomed by some baristas, who previously said that they were overwhelmed when customers used the Starbucks mobile app to order multiple drinks at once, including through deals such as four beverages for $20.
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