At Starbucks, skilled baristas are capable of crafting beverages with up to eight shots of espresso and can infuse drinks with flavors reminiscent of strawberries, apple pie, or the warm spices of pumpkin. However, there is one customer, Amanda Poore, whose coffee preferences have proven challenging for the staff to consistently meet.

Poore prefers a minimal amount of creamer in her decaf iced espresso, a detail that has been difficult to convey to the baristas. As a result, she has avoided certain Starbucks locations known for their excessive creamer servings. For years, Poore enjoyed her customized coffee without any issues at the Seattle Starbucks, where self-serve stations offered a variety of milk, sugar, sweeteners, spices, and stirrers. However, during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, Starbucks removed these stations due to concerns about viral transmission on surfaces, and they have not been reintroduced since. The company also faced issues with milk waste and theft at these stations, as reported by employees.

Instead, Starbucks has placed the responsibility of adding the perfect amount of milk, sugar, and other enhancements onto their already overburdened baristas, who are tasked with preparing the intricate drinks that have gained popularity on TikTok and are known for their elaborate nature. Starbucks has announced plans to reintroduce self-serve stations in all of its locations by early next year, a move that will be welcomed by customers like Poore.

She expressed relief, stating, "Now I don’t have to worry about bothering the baristas if they put too much in." The return of these stations may seem like a minor change for Starbucks, but it signifies a larger shift for the world's largest coffee chain. It acknowledges that the company may have overextended its baristas by offering an overwhelming number of drink preparation options. Bloomberg has estimated that there are over 383 billion possible ways to make a latte at Starbucks alone.

David Garfield, the global head of industries at consulting firm AlixPartners, commented on the situation, saying, "When Starbucks closed condiment bars during Covid, the customization work shifted to the baristas behind the counter, causing delays." Starbucks is now looking to redistribute some of this work back to the customers while also streamlining its menu to ease the operational burden on employees and improve staffing levels, especially during peak hours.

A Starbucks spokesperson emphasized the company's goal: "Our aim is to ensure that our baristas have time to not only create great crafted drinks but also to provide hospitality and a personal touch when handing off drinks to customers." This initiative is part of the new CEO, Brian Niccol's, strategy to revitalize the chain.

Starbucks also plans to reinstate the tradition of baristas handwriting customers' names on their drinks and to reintroduce comfortable seating, all in an effort to make Starbucks feel more like a traditional coffee shop. The company has experienced a decline in sales for three consecutive quarters, marking its longest downturn in years. High drink prices and lengthy wait times have deterred some customers, and hundreds of Starbucks stores have voted to unionize in protest over pay, benefits, and working conditions. Over 30% of Starbucks' orders now come from customers who order via their phones and pick up their orders later.

This surge in mobile orders has sometimes put additional strain on Starbucks workers during peak hours. Niccol believes that bringing back self-serve stations will help Starbucks achieve a service speed of four minutes or less for drink orders. He stated, "We’re going to bring back the coffee condiment bar because both our customers are asking for it and our baristas are saying it would help them deliver the speed of service that they want to provide."

However, some workers argue that a condiment bar will not address the more significant issues they face. Amanda Rivera, a Starbucks worker in Atlanta and a leader of Starbucks Workers United, a worker group that has unionized over 500 Starbucks stores across the country, said, "Having the condiment bar takes a little bit off our plate, but it’s not the bulk of the work." She noted that sometimes she is one of only two people working in her store, emphasizing that "a condiment bar is not going to take the place of having proper staffing." Additionally, the return of self-serve counters could lead to extra work for employees, such as cleaning up spills at the stations and refilling carafes with milk. Rivera added, "We’ll need to have proper staffing so that people are able to restock the condiment bar and make sure it’s clean and presentable."