How Starbucks Is Fundamentally Changing Its Menu In 2025

Menu items coming and going are part of any chain's process, but Starbucks fans may be seeing a lot more going in 2025. Change has been in the air at the ubiquitous coffee shop, as new CEO Brian Niccol took over the company back in September, and announced a change in strategy intended to bring Starbucks back to its roots as a neighborhood-friendly spot to hang out and grab coffee. Hints that the company would be cutting back on its menu have been appearing over the past few months, as Starbucks first eliminated the olive oil-infused Oleato drinks last fall, and then discontinued the (intended to be permanent) iced energy drinks it launched only a few months prior. But neither of those cuts, which could be chalked up to customer dislike of individual items, pointed to the large scale of the menu pair back coming, with Niccol telling people on a recent earnings call that Starbucks plans to cut its food and drink menu by around 30% this year.

Niccol did not specify what items would be going away on the call, but he previously admitted that Starbucks had an issue with its menu being too complicated and expansive, and noted the lack of focus on the core Starbucks experience as part of what is driving formerly loyal customers away. Niccol also indicated that beyond returning to what people used to like about Starbucks, improving the efficiency of service times is also a big factor in simplifying the menu.

Starbucks' big changes are coming in the wake of a rough year for the company that eventually led to Niccol taking over. The chain has seen its same-store sales fall for four straight quarters, with Niccol revealing on the same call where he announced the menu cut that sales had fallen 4% last quarter, with an 8% decline in in-store traffic.

Niccol stated on the call that "we can sell more of our core beverages simply by demonstrating our premium value." In talking about how simplifying menu offerings can make ordering more pleasant and efficient, he noted success in bringing back coffee condiment bars, which allow people to customize their drinks themselves, and eliminate a bottleneck at the counter that can lead to long wait times. Throughout the call, he repeatedly referenced a four-minute or less goal for getting customers their drinks.

There is also hope that slimming down the menu will make it easier for Starbucks to squeeze in new limited-time offerings that stand out more, with Niccols citing the recent success of Starbucks' Dubai Matcha as a model. The company has also tried to improve the in-store experience for existing drinks, which it started doing by expanding free refills to all customers and removing the upcharge for non-dairy milks. When these cuts will start to take effect is not clear, but it looks like plenty of products are about to join lists of Starbucks items you'll probably never see again.