Pull up to a Starbucks drive-thru in the US and you might hear a cheerful voice taking your order. Human? Not always.
In some locations, it’s an AI doing the talking.Inside the store, baristas now lean on virtual assistants to recall recipes or juggle schedules.
Smart scanners quietly handle the dreaded task of counting inventory.
Why all the tech? Because Starbucks has been hurting.
After years of sluggish sales, the coffee giant has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into technology to win customers back.
And, finally, there are signs it’s paying off. The company just reported its first US sales growth in two years.
No small win in a market that delivers about 70% of its revenue.
Investors Remain Skeptical
Still, investors aren’t fully convinced. Shares dipped 5%, with worries that heavy spending—including $500m to boost staffing—has dented profits.
CEO Brian Niccol isn’t sweating it. “I really do believe we’ve got the right plan in place,” he told the BBC.
Pointing to a promise to find $2bn in cost savings over the next three years.
Niccol, who joined in 2024, has frozen price hikes, simplified the menu and pushed for faster service.
But he says the real fix isn’t just algorithms. Starbucks, he admits, lost its soul chasing efficiency.
Now? It’s trying to blend AI with something harder to code: human connection.
