Starbucks has always been our trendy coffee shop to have coffee. Who has not had a coffee in those giant cups with the green logo? Well now it seems they are changing their stores little by little, specifically those that are Pickup Only, and it will be starting in 2026.
Starbucks wants to return to human contact as it has always been, between baristas and customers, so they want to bring warmth back to the service by eliminating that cold moment of just picking up your coffee and leaving. A good idea, don’t you think?
Goodbye, “Pickup Only”
It lasted six years, and it worked quite well during all this time, people got used to ordering their coffee and leaving, designed just for that, to order it through the app and go, there was hardly any place to sit, nor to interact with the staff, turning Starbucks into just another coffee shop, no magic, nothing at all.
Starbucks’ own CEO, Brian Niccol, admitted that the system ended up dehumanizing the experience, something that went against the heart of the brand!
Technology will remain, but at the service of people
Starbucks will not give up digitalization, that would be absurd, but the app will become a complementary tool, not a substitute for direct interaction. And the advance orders and loyalty programs will remain, but with a focus in which digital efficiency serves to improve closeness with the baristas, not to eliminate it, because we love Starbucks workers!
New stores and new experiences
The company will invest $150,000 per store in renovating lighting, furniture and layout, looking for cozier and more comfortable spaces. New small store formats will also be tested, but designed to invite people to stay, converse and enjoy coffee without rushing.
This shift is also part of the corporate plan called “Green Apron Service” with which Starbucks will invest $500 million to bring back hospitality and strengthen the social experience!
And the baristas now?
One of the best things Starbucks has is the closeness of its workers, many were simply limited to preparing chain orders and the coffee shop lost its magic! We want hospitality, we want a bond with the person who serves us… And we also want them to be happy, surely they too have missed human contact!
The new consumer: a challenge
Of course it would be absurd to deny that we are facing the most digitalized generations in history, and that they have gotten used to doing everything without lifting their heads from the screen, but, even though many prefer speed, it is not always the solution. Starbucks now offers spaces where having a coffee becomes again a social meeting point, whether to talk about gossip or to attend a work meeting.
Coffee as an excuse to meet
In such a digital and fast-paced world, personal contact is often lost. Starbucks wants to bring that magic back, to turn its stores again into places to relax, chat, work… or simply be, like at home. Coffee is not just a drink: it is a pretext to reconnect, and we love it!
A new stage for Starbucks
The form changes but not the essence, they want to get closer to their customers, to make them see that they are still the center of the chain and that they can enjoy their coffees inside the stores. Having coffee will be, again, in 2026, a social act that seemed lost. Thank you, Starbucks, for bringing back human contact to your coffee shops! We are looking forward to receiving our coffee with our name after a conversation with the barista!