Starbucks' new CEO wants you to get a brewed coffee in 'less than 30 seconds'
Starbucks
- Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol aims for a brewed cup of coffee to take less than 30 seconds to prepare.
- He told ABC that the coffee chain will be "hitting pause" on increasing prices for this fiscal year.
- Starbucks plans to enhance mobile orders and transparency around pricing, Niccol said.
Starbucks' new CEO, Brian Niccol, says he hopes customers will one day be able to get a brewed cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds.
In an interview with ABC's Good Morning America, the coffee boss said he wants to prioritize speed while also saying that there would be no more price rises for the time being.
Niccol's vision for what Starbucks will look like in five years' time includes a more efficient mobile order business with its own pick-up area.
"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," he told ABC. "My hope is we can get you a brewed cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds."
Niccol joined Starbucks as its CEO in September after spending six years at the helm of Chipotle.
Unlike Chipotle, which announced menu price increases of about 2% on Wednesday, Niccol said: "The approach we've taken right now is we're going to hit the pause button on any pricing for this fiscal year."
"I still think there's an opportunity for us to simplify the pricing architecture right now — I don't love the fact that in our app right now, while you're doing this customization, it doesn't inform you what has happened to the price, so I want to get more transparent with the pricing," he said on GMA.
Niccol also said Starbucks would bring back some old staples like the Sharpies used to write names on cups and the coffee condiment bar.
The coffee chain CEO explained that they're investing in technology to provide more accurate times about when drinks will be ready for customers.
"We've got a lot of offerings that there's just one or two of these ordered a day," he said.
"The way I talk about it is, we're going to do fewer things, but we're going to do fewer things better."