OPEN THREAD conversation-starter: What's your reaction to Starbucks' just-announced fall offerings?

The line-up: Protein latte; Signature hot chocolate (a sort of thin Chantico); "Perfect oatmeal" with nuts, berries and brown sugar; "Protein pack" featuring peanut butter, hard boiled egg, and mini bagel; multi-grain roll with almond butter; and a fruit and nut bar. Discuss this or anything else Starbucks-related in the weekend open thread.

Comments

[ASM...slowly regaining confidence with SBUX.]

I am excited about the beverages and I have been fortunate enough to try them already. I believe they will be quite a hit. As for the Oatmeal, I think it is a good step in the right direction, now lets try to get rid of our really bad pastries and replace them with more granola items that are friendly to people with nut allergies (like me :-)

I am not so excited about the coffees that are being dropped to seasonal/discontinued. I am really going to miss my FP of Yukon on Sunday mornings.

Lets all take a moment to mourn the loss of Yukon........

Ok so yeah, change is good and if you don't like what Starbucks is doing then voice it, if you aren't heard then try harder and if nothing from that then go open your own multi-billion dollar coffee chain and only do what YOU think should be served, see how long you last.

[Beatrice Maldonado]

Anyone who thinks oatmeal is not a healthy breakfast is a buffoon.

[BAYAREABUX]

My promo workbook didn't mention anything about hot chocolates. Is this going to be a regional thing for Midwest / New England = cold in the fall?

Anyone else not see hot chocolates, or maybe it got revised mid-day???

[BAYAREABUX]

Trent, bonus points if you can tell us why Espresso Frappuccino costs more than Coffee Frappuccino + Add Shot.

I've got a free Sorbetto waiting for you if you know...

[Trent]

BayAreaBux:

I'm in Palo Alto. It's kinda hidden, its not really a focus in the book the way oatmeal is. But you should be able to see it on the table contents as well as a recipe card.

[An Awesome Homosexual Partner in Washington]

Oldschool - Get out.

And carbs aren't all evil. There is a difference between simple carbs and complex carbs people...

As a nutrition major I have had the idea of oatmeal with no added sugar pounded into my head as a nearly perfect breakfast by professor after professor...

[Trent]

BayAreaBux:

You got me. Honestly I didn't even realize it was more expensive! But you would have honestly driven 400 miles to LA to get me a sorbetto?? ;)

[anon]

boiled egg + starbucks sounds like a bad idea.

[starbucks customer]

As a customer, I am really excited to try the signature hot chocolate. I really miss chantico. I don't believe chantico should be served all year. They should bring it back as a seasonal drink in the winter/Christmas time when it is cold outside. Sounds cozy.

[Tim]

LMD, I was thinking the same thing.

No PSL :(

There will be many dissatisfied regulars expecting pumpkin spice at the end of August just to find that all we can offer them is our new chalky Protein Latte.

All the other stuff sounds great to me, though.

[wholahay]

Pumpkin spice will be back for fall phase 1 too....read the workbook, not sbux gossip for whats ACTUALLY going on...

[ExAussieASM]

SHC has been here in OZ for well over a year. When it first came out here partners complained about making up the mix and the horrible noise it makes when you steam it, but now everyone is just used to it.
Now when someone order a hot chocolate it is automatically put through as a signature. Most Classic hot chocolate drinkers made the switch, and didnt seem to even notice the price increase.
Not sure if it will be the same in the U.S. but here we have to ask every customer who orders it if they are allergic to dairy as it contains trace amounts.
But overall it's turned out to be very popular.
Not too sure about the seasalt thing though..thats just weird!

[Ellen]

These are fabulous; this is terrific for Starbucks. Face it, if you want to be the happening place, you have to appeal to the kind of people who care about what they put in their bodies, not the kinds of people who eat the donut-crap and scone-crap. This will attract a sophisticated, moneyed crowd who already loves the SB coffee and experience, likes a treat once every once a while but wants that treat to be quality (like Chantico, not like the donuts and scones), and is interested in healthful, nutritious fuel for the body. Outstanding!! They are LISTENING to their core customers, who spend a lot of money on lattes and the like but it doesn't fill them up enough to serve as a breakfast substitute - and adding a scone doesn't help them much.

[Ellen]

And Anonymous Old School? Grow up. Successful professionals of both sexes care about the health / nutrition content of the food. And they have the disposable incomes to go into these stores every day for breakfast.

[Janelle]

@ExAussieASM

Mind if i ask what store you were with?? Just curious :-)

Janelle

[RogerTheBarista]

Well, this all sounds fairly exciting to me. Customers often look forward to the new things that we bring out, and this brings with it all kinds of new things to try. In terms of trying to turn the business around, these new directions may or may not help; only time will tell. But at least we are trying.

Can someone in the know mention some more about the hot choco, particularly with the chili powder add in? How is that going to work?

RogerTheBarista

[Pete]

I just had my first smoothie drink at SBUX ... It's my last one from SBUX. The real Smoothie stores offer a much better drink.
..
How did Starbucks get this one so wrong ?

[Torontodude]

re: oatmeal

Commercially available instant oatmeal is generally garbage: packed with processed and refined sugar and other unhealthy additives. People may feel good about not dumping yet more sugar on top of it, but they are fooling themselves. And the starchy carbs in oatmeal can start a yo-yo insulin response that leaves the people craving more starchy carbs later in the day.

Just about the only good thing in instant oatmeal is the fibre. If Starbucks were cooking vats of oatmeal without additives, it would be a different story. But it's not. Most likely, Starbucks will offer "healthy" oatmeal that's about as healthy as "healthy" pastry.

[Torontodude]

One last thought....lest I seem too cranky and contrarian.

I applaud Starbucks efforts to do the right thing on nutrition... at long last. It just needs some fine tuning. I'd hate to see Starbucks come so close, and then lose sales by botching execution.

My ideas:
- offer unsweetened yogurt with the oatmeal toppings of nuts and fruit
- omit the mini-bagel from the protein pack

[100% Kona made in a Clover]

Hoorah the return of Pumpkin Spice!!!!!The new Hot Chocolate will be huge where I am in New England, the oatmeal too. Some other stores in my district got the new Mastrena machines..I had an iced Americano, and swore to god I was drinking shots pulled from a manual machine. Yummy!!! Can't wait for my store to get them!!The new machines should greatly improve drink quality as well as speed of service.(the hopper holds 5 lbs of beans!!! No more filling the hopper all the time!!)

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP WEBMASTER]

I hate starting my weekend by reading idiotic comments of the like left by ANONYMOUS OLD SCHOOL PARTNER. I don't want to continue to read them through the weekend, so he/she has been banned.

[CremaKid]

omg! OMG!!! Anybody remember the little talk with our Pike launch? Focus on Coffee? Bull Shit, here comes the "Vav" drinks which takes more time and more mess. Gotta love those clouds of fruit flies out back. And now all this? I'm not hearing much on the coffee side? Remember when McDonald's was trying every food known to man to squeeze extra sales? It didn't work for them and it won't work for us. Yeah, I know, Corporate responsibility. It's like a decision by committee, Its always a compromise and the guy with balls looses. Have some nuts and go back to our roots of great coffee. Why can I go to the corner gas station and get six varieties of hot coffee, yet I go to Starbucks, premier coffee purveyor to the world and I get ONE Coffee choice!!! Oh, you wanted to sip on a bold tonight with your paper in your third place? Pound sand!

I love this company, even more I love my coworkers and managers because together we can embrace our customers as friends and I don't want my friends to get second best. Cut through the corporate "PC" straight jacket and do kick ass great coffee, PERIOD!!!

[NJ_Barista]

OATMEAL!!!? wow im am beyond bothered. its not so much the extra work that bothers me...its the fact that we are now stooping so low a to sell oatmeal...getting back to basics...how does oatmeal fit into that?

first we're a smoothie joint now we're going to see oatmeal. time for a new job that doesn't involve becoming something fake just to make some money. which by the way oatmeal wont even sell. how about those honey lattes BIG seller...yea right. SF Mocha GREAT idea...not. it just keeps getting worse.

[CD]

Oatmeal is fine if it's not processed to death and doesn't contain a ton of added sugars. I'm hoping that Sbux's last venture into oatmeal (Grani) won't be an indication of this one - here's hoping that this fall's version will simply be oats and water/milk. I'd pay extra to not have to have all the added sugars.

[Soyweird]

Um...just a note on honey..it's only of the only things that people are NOT allergic to

[JJ]

So you guys will now have whole, non-fat, 2% soy, breve, plus protein, as well as apple cider, to steam this winter, in addition to vivannos, and fraps?

I'm glad I'm not there anymore. I mean really, every drink is going to be different, with a unique build, and with two machines per store, and 10 milk choices, its a recipe for disaster. AND it'll clog the steam wands up so fast service techs won't be able to keep up.

And oatmeal? Really? And let's pull focus away from a tried and true member of the team, pumpkin spice, for a slightly reconfigured chantico, and protein lattes? Don't get me wrong, America's favorite flavor is sweet and salty, but c'mon guys. Pumpkin spice is an icon!

Good one Sbux... good one.

[Sheik]

If a minuscule parfait costs $3.45+ at Sbux then I can't WAIT to see how much the oatmeal will cost.......

[tcoffee]

Any word on the return of Anniversary Blend? I'll cry a thousand tears if it doesn't show up.

[Limey]

mmmmm...Protein Lattes..? Sounds like getting back to the 'coffee roots'. I mean, when I think of morning comfort, I definitely think of a latte with some stinky processed protein powder in it! Can't wait to order that - NOT!

[Beatrice Maldonado]

Quaker Oats ingredients list: 100% natural whole grain Quaker quality rolled oats. That's the way to go.

Toronto dude, it really sounds like you've been brainwashed by the Atkins diet with all of your insulin-spiking oatmeal bashing. Pipe down I say.

[Shifty in the City]

I get that a company our size and influence needs to evolve and expand and try new things, but every last person who makes these decisions needs to spend time behind the counter AFTER their immersion and see exactly what has to happen day-to-day to keep the store clean, functional, and still as fast as ever. If numbers don't allow more labor, fine, but get off my back when speed of service slows to a screeching halt because we're peeling bananas, steaming maybe oh EIGHT TO NINE different liquids in addition to the awfully inefficient vivannos, preparing oatmeal, in addition to every other G.D. thing we do to go above and beyond. Give some non-cov time for cleaning or SOMETHING because it's about to get to be too much and you're going to continue to see more quality people get burned out and leave. This company was not built on this crap, and a mutant has been born. What happened to raising base pay to correspond with minimum wage? PAY ME MORE IF YOU WANT MORE WORK OUT OF ME.

[Torontodude]

Okay. We are wandering pretty far afield on the nutrition debate, so let me sum up my position in one final post on the subject.

I agree that reading a single book does not make you a nutrition expert. And the focus on "good foods" and "bad foods" is simple-minded. Too often, people seize on a single, isolated nutrition factoid and become very dogmatic about it --ignoring the bigger picture.

My larger point is that Starbucks healthier menu is a big opportunity that needs to be properly executed. I frequently eat hard boiled eggs at Starbucks. Or I eat yogurt with fruit, nuts, and protein powder.But I have to bring them from home! It would be a lot easier to just buy them there.

A downtown Toronto Starbucks I frequent is near so-called Gay Village and more than a half dozen gyms. Time and time again, I see people searching the pastry case in vain for something healthy to eat. They end up just ordering coffee. Or they walk out.

Starbucks is a business. It is not a non-profit health promotion agency. It is perfectly free to sell whatever it wants. But if it can correctly launch and promote its healthier menu, everyone wins.

If I could eat a healthy breakfast and use the receipt for a $2 Vivanno later in the day -- I'd be in Starbucks twice a day on most days. And I'd start loading my card in 50 or 100 dollar increments, instead of the current 2o dollar increments.

HS, fell free to contact me for more!

[luvkenya]

So I've read a lot over the past few months, but this is my first post. I have agreed with a lot of the posts and others I have been, well, a less valuable use of my time.

But there's no way around it - these are challenging times for us. The microscope is on every move we make and each decision is expected to be the very best from every imaginable angle. Not only is that unrealistic, it's also very exciting. So many of these posts are from partners that care so much that it hurts. And then there are the customers that want to preserve and enhance the third place they've grown to love. Personally, it's inspiring and empowering. We may not be the decision makers that bring the 'next big thing' to our stores, but we make or break every product and every customers' experience every single day.

So maybe you don't love oatmeal. Maybe you do. (and maybe we should wait to try if first) Maybe you can't stand Pike Place Roast. Maybe you only love it with a splash of soy - its awesome. Maybe with everything new, we've made it easy to forget what hasn't changed. We ARE a coffee company. We created who we are. And if you want to celebrate coffee and connect with customers over a freshly pressed Gazebo or Anniversary Blend - then make it happen! But if you also want to feel proud about offering healthy, real ingredients to customers, then surprise them with a Vivanno! It's in your hands.

Let's not forget about all that we have done since January to improve our customers' coffee experience. We spent months recommiting to excellent espresso beverages, beauitful foam, and truely fresh brewed coffee. Doesn't anyone remember tasting fresh brewed coffee vs. the 60 minute old cup? We ARE a coffee company and if you love coffee, then talk about it. Share it. Celebrate it.

But we're also here to meet our customers' needs. And today that means new and exciting products. If you thought 'back to basics' meant just serving coffee, that too is unrealistic. The basics are the best coffee beans, great partners and a warm, welcoming gathering place. That's the 'core.'
And it hasn't changed. And we can keep it that way.

[Cali ASM]

OMG shifty in the city!!!

I think your entire post should be trademarked, enlarged, and posted in every backroom of a Starbucks store.

I am in complete agreement with everything you said.

[Shifty in the City]

Cali ASM, thanks, glad to know I'm not the only one. This has been boiling inside me for a while !! I think luvkenya is right on that for the most part, we all care a heckuva lot about this job, whether we're part-time like me, or we've chosen this as our career. The problem is what we've become. We'll never get back to where we were in Howie's golden olden days, because SB is simply NOT THAT anymore, nor should it necessarily be.
Look, there's really no precedent corporate can go to for a model. No company has ever been what we are now. But they totally need to get rid of the severe disconnect that is causing SERIOUS problems across the country. Maybe downsizing will ultimately help get more higher-ups into the stores - I know that's already starting to happen in the midwest. I'll try to be optimistic once we hit Fall Phase 1....urrrrrrghhhh......!!

[Crema the crop]

Oh Luvkenya (and I luv it too), I hope that the string of decisions prompting less dedicated and short-sighted partners to leave results in a core of courageous partners like you. And me!

[A Dash of Daring]

************SIGNATURE HOT CHOCOLATE*************

Signature hot chocolate has been available in the UK for the past 2 years it is a little bit like the classic hot chocolate but it is a little bit smoother. It is not at thick as the Chantico, in fact it is nothing like it at all... although it is hot and it is chocolate.

When a customer now asks for a Hot Chocolate, a Signature Hot Chocolate is given as standard unless they say "Classic Hot Chocolate". Its not my favourite drink but it is popular. In the UK we simply have Caramel, Hazelnut or Vanilla flavour.

Hope this helps x

[barista351]

The oatmeal bowls sound like a lot of waste. Now, every single morning you customers can throw away not only a paper coffee cup, a plastic water cup, but also a plastic spoon AND a BOWL!!! Yay for the environment. ps: I also refuse to use dirty disgusting "personal bowls" for oatmeal....my god, the things I see in the bottom of personal cups...

[Darleen]

But we're also here to meet our customers' needs. And today that means new and exciting products. If you thought 'back to basics' meant just serving coffee, that too is unrealistic. The basics are the best coffee beans, great partners and a warm, welcoming gathering place. That's the 'core.'
And it hasn't changed. And we can keep it that way.

I love this post! These are the kinds of partners starbucks needs to cherish and develop. I admire your passion and hope that you pass it on to all your co-workers and customers.

[Darleen]

Oh Luvkenya (and I luv it too), I hope that the string of decisions prompting less dedicated and short-sighted partners to leave results in a core of courageous partners like you. And me!

I don't know about this statement, I was extremely dedicated and certainly not short-sighted as were many others. Some of the people who left actually had many years under their belt and it was not their decision to leave. Your post seemed a bit callous to their feelings in my opinion.

[Shifty in the City]

Short-sighted?? Less dedicated?? Right. Compensation is a really nuts and bolts way to show an employee is valued. Increasing the workload exponentially with each Phase without altering base pay for..hm...how long now?? At a certain point, it's self-preservation, as short-sighted and less dedicated as that sounds. I love this job, which is the only reason I've stayed as long as I have, and I value the benefits I'm given and generally it's a great place to work at the end of the day, for what it is. But I can't continue to run myself ragged day in and day out, because really then I will be of no value to the company whatsoever. This is my second job, so most of my workweeks are 70-80 hours. I come in every night I'm scheduled and completely clean up the store and share the workload with my baristas, kept it up when they extended our post-close time to an hour after to clean instead of the previous half hour despite my day job, do everything I can to maintain the health of my store and the happiness of my customers, and I'm usually exhausted. If I choose to leave, it will be because I simply can't do the job I love well anymore because of these factors. So please, do not jump to throwing around "dedication," even if it was directed somewhere else.

[me]

Dedication died several weeks ago for me. Now I'm using the company as the company is using me. It's a paycheck. I'm a worker. That's it. It's just business at this point. A means to an end. Though, I'd like to know when in the heck the end is gonna be so I can plan, I don't know, next month's budget...(eyes rolling) I don't have any passion anymore, just show up and do my job.

[Fishie]

How do you get the gold card after registered? I registered in July but haven't received anything in the mail.

[Lunza]

Oatmeal at Starbucks. Hmmm.

You know what? Forget "healthy." I wish they made a better croissant.

[espressoblend]

Oatmeal sounds good, honestly.

[maggiemunkee]

soyweird, people can be allergic to honey. an ex-boyfriend of mine was allergic to it, and if i had anything with honey i would need to rinse with listerine to ensure that he wouldn't go into anaphylactic (sp?) shock.

[lost mgr]

off topic-
I need some advice on increasing team morale...store is closing, people are freaking out, and fighting and lying about eachother lobbying for positions at our sister store. This is not the passionate fun team I know anymore and I dont know how to turn it around....any advice???

[Trent]

Interesting, checked the portal today and the removed the Fall Phase 1 workbook from the portal.....

[T]

After reading all of this, I'm so glad that I have found another job. Don't get me wrong...I adore Starbucks, but it's getting overwhelming. The baristas are stressed beyond compare. The shifts are getting cranky because of it. And no one is getting the hours they want or need. So, on to a 40 hour a week job with almost the same pay rate I have at Starbucks. Goodbye, my friend. It was fun while it lasted.

[Posted by:]

Oh my gosh! This open thread is full of a bunch of whiners! I can't believe the reactions. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. I believe attitudes like the ones displayed on this site are one of the reasons Starbucks is having a bit of trouble.

Peeling bananas takes 1-2 minutes max to fill the entire container. You have nearly 18 hours to get mocha, coffee base and cream base made. Shifty in the city: the way to accomplish cleaning tasks is to use your non-coverage time. Also, check the DCR for when you're overstaffed to make prep and accomplish daily cleaning tasks.

This job is WAY too easy for people to be complaining so much. Yikes!