By Jordan Valinsky, NCS
New York (NCS) — Starbucks has a bonus in the mornings with espresso. Now, it wants to lure people back later in the day with a distinct sort of caffeine enhance.
The espresso chain’s US areas will roll out a new afternoon menu in the coming weeks, which is able to embrace new snacks and quite a lot of drinks completely different from its core espresso picks, together with teas, revamped energy drinks and matcha.
“If you think about the morning, it’s very routinized, but the afternoon can be a bit more spontaneous,” Tressie Lieberman, Starbucks’ world chief model officer, instructed NCS. “You want a different drink based off how your day is going or what the weather feels like.”
That creates a possibility for Starbucks, she mentioned.
Starbucks has been dropping a few of its aggressive edge to upstarts like Dutch Bros. and Black Rock Coffee. Afternoons are sometimes a slower time for the chain, mentioned Robert Byrne, senior director of shopper analysis for Technomic, so there’s potential for progress.
“This is the little miniature break, the brain reset, or the emotional reset that a lot of consumers can get from that quick little afternoon trip to their favorite beverage spot and I think there’s a ton of opportunity there,” he instructed NCS.
Expanding Starbucks’ afternoon choice has been a key initiative for CEO Brian Niccol’s revival plans. After a sluggish begin, his menu changes and different enhancements appear to be working: The Seattle-based firm reported Wednesday its first rise in US same-stores gross sales and visitors in about two years.
A vital a part of the afternoon menu is Starbucks’ new energy drinks, which smaller opponents already supply. The chain beforehand tried to enter the in style house, however discontinued the effort a few yr in the past when it slimmed down its menu.
The new model relies on its in style Refreshers drinks model, and will derive its caffeine from inexperienced espresso extract, or unroasted espresso beans. Lieberman mentioned that helps Starbucks stand aside since many energy drinks are made with loads of artificial elements.
The “health-minded consumer segment” is quickly rising and now accounts for roughly 40% of all meals and beverage gross sales, Circana, an trade analysis agency, reported this week. In specific, energy drinks at the moment are a $25 billion market.
Other drink additions interesting to health-conscious prospects embrace a new chai latte that lets prospects customise the sweetness degree and world flavors like ube and lavender. New matcha drinks are coming subsequent week, too.
Starbucks’ meals choice can be getting a makeover, with extra savory objects packed with protein and fiber, that are two in style wellness traits, and further on-the-go choices for afternoons. After all, meals is almost a $6 billion enterprise for the model, which has targeted closely on breakfast, Lieberman mentioned.
“We’re looking at adding more handheld options like a pizza or a flatbread that would be portable and use super simple, clean ingredients,” she mentioned.
Despite being marketed for the afternoon, the drinks and meals will even be out there in the morning. The chain will reset its menu boards and app to promote the new picks throughout the afternoon, hopefully luring morning prospects back to cafés.
“There’s a big opportunity to bring morning people back in the afternoon as well as bring in another customer, an incremental customer who maybe is doing at-home coffee with Starbucks in the morning and then we can get them back in the afternoon,” Lieberman mentioned.
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