Starbucks is fast-tracking its new staffing model across all 18,000 North American locations by the end of summer, CEO Brian Niccol announced Tuesday. The accelerated timeline represents a significant change from the original plan to deploy the system to just one-third of U.S. stores by year-end.
The Green Apron model is designed to improve customer service through better order sequencing technology and dedicated drive-through baristas. Niccol said early tests of the model have sped up service times and grown sales, without providing specifics.
“We’ve learned, and now we know what we need to do, so let’s scale it,” Niccol told Reuters during the company’s leadership summit in Las Vegas.
The new approach is central to Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround strategy, which focuses on returning the chain to its coffeehouse roots and improving in-store experiences. The company aims to serve customers their orders within four minutes.
Niccol, who became CEO in September, has been working to address declining sales growth that has troubled the coffee giant in recent quarters. The strategy emphasizes in-store service over mobile and takeout orders.
The company did not release financial details about implementing the Green Apron model. Starbucks has not issued annual guidance, and Niccol told investors in an earnings call earlier this year that earnings-per-share “shouldn’t be used as a measure of our success” at this stage, instead pointing to in-store metrics like average wait times for orders.
The Las Vegas summit is hosting more than 14,000 company managers and leaders. Starbucks plans to hold an investor day in 2026.
Recent analyst reports show mixed sentiment about the turnaround timeline. TD Cowen downgraded Starbucks stock to “hold” from “buy,” citing concerns that Niccol’s changes may take longer than expected to show results.
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