After enjoying our tasty holiday treats, we are ready to jump into the New Year, full of fresh ideas. One popular idea is for Starbucks to offer more gluten-free options. We’ve started doing some operational testing in a select number of our stores and the baristas & customers who participated were psyched about the idea. One barista shared, “Out of all the tests we’ve done, this one feels like we’re doing the most for the customer!” Before we continue moving forward, we would love some feedback from you about what you want to see in gluten-free offerings. Here are a few questions we have for you: • What specific gluten-free products would you like to see … more »

Obviously there has been a great deal of interest and press coverage about our recent decaf decision. While that is very encouraging--it's the kind of interest and passion most companies only dream of having--there are a few points that are being lost in the shuffle. Below is the actual communication that was sent to stores: For many of our stores, the demand for decaf is greatly reduced in the afternoon and therefore yields high waste with the current standard. In recognition of this, stores no longer need to continually brew decaf coffee after 12 p.m. and can now apply the same standard that exists for Morning Pick. * Continue offering Decaf Pike Place Roast as the daily decaf brew through … more »

Hi Friends, I’d like to thank you all for your continued interest and requests for additional sugar-free options at Starbucks. We are considering alternate sweeteners and optimizing our current syrup line-up. Currently, we carry Sugar-free Caramel, Hazelnut, and Vanilla. We are working on a couple of new products we hope to share with you this spring. Keep the ideas coming! In the meantime, I want to share some new ways to try the sugar-free syrups we have available right now. Sugar-free syrups can be a great addition to a variety of drinks on our menu including lattes, which many of you have already tried. Following are some of my favorite ways to use our three sugar-free syrups (Caramel … more »

Last week Howard Schultz hosted a second coffee and conversation night at a Starbucks in Lakewood, WA. The store was packed; about 100 customers joined him to share their views of Starbucks. Many more customers were represented, because each customer brought messages from families and friends too. Howard met with these customers and asked the question, “What does it mean to be a Starbucks customer and what can we do to help enhance your experience?” Knowing the baristas names seems to go hand in hand with friendly service was the first idea shared. The attendees suggested that baristas wear nametags. This is a popular idea on MSI, but equally popular with our partners is to not wear … more »

Tuesday, January 13 @ 2:00 is tea time at Starbucks. All company-operated stores will be sampling the new Tazo® Tea Lattes and Tea Infusions along with some tasty food. Tazo® Tea Lattes • Black Tea Latte . It’s a blend of black teas from India and Sri Lanka combined with freshly steamed milk and sweetened to perfection. • London Fog Tea Latte , a blend of Earl Grey (the traditional bergamot-scented black tea) accented with a hint of French lavender, sweetened with vanilla and combined with steamed milk. • Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte , a tantalizing elixir of South African caffeine-free rooibos (sometimes called “red tea”), Tahitian vanilla, apple and peach … more »

If you are new to My Starbucks Idea we want to welcome you and hello again to our regulars. Look for us in the comment stream of your ideas. We’re the ones in orange. We also give updates on action taken on ideas in the Ideas in Action section of the site. We work in different areas of the business and monitor specific areas of the site that relate to our daily job. We love reading your ideas and sharing them with the company. ― sbx_bean , I’m Cecile, the MSI community manager ― sbx_stor Sally is an expert on the Starbucks Card and Loyalty team ― sbx_esp Mark represents all things beverage ― sbx_jska Joelle watches the building community sections of the site ― sbx_kand Kristin is … more »

Recently we posted a poll to see what type of Starbucks stores you visit most often. You told us you visit our company-owned locations the most. 88% Company store 7% Grocery Store 3% Barnes & Noble 2% Airport location Would grocery store locations be your second most visited type of Starbucks store? Do you remember the first Starbucks that you visited?