Starbucks CEO Heralds 30-Second Rule Timesaver and Return of Customer Favorite

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol hopes that a new 30-second rule will save customers time while they’re grabbing their morning coffee. He also revealed that a customer favorite will return to the coffee chain after being removed four years ago.

In an interview with Good Morning America, Niccol discussed the concept of a dedicated pickup area for mobile orders, noting a plan to implement this shift in customer service within five years.

“I think what you’re going to see is a very orderly mobile order business with its own dedicated pickup area,” he said of his vision for what Starbucks will look like in five years. “You’re going to have an experience where when you walk in and you interact with the barista, it’s going to be really quick for that brewed cup of coffee. My hope is we can get you a brewed cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds.”

Inc. dubbed this strategy the “30-second rule,” and Niccol seems to think it will help the company meet the goal of “getting back to Starbucks.”

During the interview, Niccol added, “Today, you know, we just kind of give you an estimate, ‘Hey, it’ll be ready in three to five minutes.’ In the future, what’ll happen is we’ll be like, ‘Rebecca, your drink will be ready at nine,’ instead of it just being made, sitting on the counter [and] waiting for people to come.”

A Fan-Favorite Starbucks Item Returns in 2025

Starbucks will also bring back its popular coffee condiment bar in 2025. This key Starbucks element was removed from stores during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“[We’re] bringing back the coffee condiment bar so you can get your brewed cup of coffee and go ahead and doctor it up how you want,” Niccol told Good Morning America. “You’ll see us continue to push towards how do we make it easier for you to get your coffee, get the drink you want? And then also simplify the execution for our baristas and partners to give the customers the experience they want.”

Since the condiment bar was eliminated, baristas had to pick up the slack on customizing customer drinks. This led to a slowdown in production, particularly if a drink wasn’t made how it was ordered.

Brian Niccol is also considering cutting back on the number of specialty drinks that are rarely ordered at Starbucks. “We’ve got a lot of offerings that there’s just one or two of these ordered a day,” he shared. “The way I talk about it is, we’re going to do fewer things, but we’re going to do fewer things better.”

In early November, Niccol said baristas would also once again write notes on customers’ cups with Sharpies. This practice was abandoned during the pandemic as a way to streamline operations.