Starbucks’ turnaround has secret weapon beyond pumpkin spice

While Starbucks has had stumbles over the past few years, it seems to have finally found its footing.

That’s thanks to CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company in September 2024 to take the reins of a major overhaul.

Niccol’s plan, called “Back to Starbucks,” prioritized investing in baristas and transforming its locations into inviting, cozy spaces. Niccol called this “Green Apron Service,” and it showed up in small details, such as baristas handwriting messages to customers on its cups again (something old-school Starbucks customers may remember that it used to do).

Other changes included bringing back the condiment bar, offering dine-in customers ceramic mugs for their drinks, and making non-dairy milks a free upgrade. Nichol also prioritized speed, encouraging baristas to hand off orders in four minutes or less.

Our results show we’re walking the talk. We’re on the right path, and we remain ahead of schedule.

Niccol used the same playbook to revive Chipotle when he was CEO, resulting in more than double the annual revenue and an increase in restaurant-level margins from about 19% to nearly 29%.

Now Starbucks is seeing the returns. “Customer visits are rising, same-store sales have accelerated for three consecutive quarters, and the company recently raised its full-year earnings outlook,” TheStreet’s Daniel Kline reported July 23.

Notably, Niccol’s plan also broke a seven-quarter run of declining same-store results. During its recent earnings call, Starbucks announced its third consecutive quarter of positive global comparable sales.

Starbucks fall menu will feature banana bread flavors

Starbucks has always been known for its fall menu, thanks to the now-infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte (or the PSL, as fans call it). But the chain is also introducing plenty of new items this year, leaning into banana bread and pecan flavors.

Food blogger Markie Devo posted a teaser on X (the former Twitter) on July 30, featuring a full look at the menu, which he predicts will drop Aug. 25. Along with returning favorites, the menu includes seven new drinks and two new dessert items.

Related: Starbucks has new plan to beat Dutch Bros, 7 Brew

Three of the new drinks are pumpkin-themed: Pumpkin Spice Chai, Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, and Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha.

There’s also an Iced Banana Bread Latte and an Iced Banana Bread Chai. You can also try out a Dirty Chai and a “Chaider,” which is a blend of chai tea and cider.

As for food items, the Chicken Bacon Protein Pocket is a new item to appeal to those trying to pack in the protein in the morning, while the Hedgehog Cake Pop is a new addition to the cake pop line that’s almost too cute to eat.

Fans in the Starbucks subreddit had mixed reactions to the new menu, with many disappointed to see that the apple-themed drinks from the previous year would not be returning.

The Chaider also got a lot of negative feedback, with one Starbucks employee saying, “The Chaider is horrible. We made it last night, and it tastes like a candle.” Several also called out the number of new drinks, with one commenter saying, “What happened to ‘simplifying’ the menu??”

Starbucks’ turnaround plan “ahead of schedule”

Niccol said during the company’s Q3 earnings that the “Back to Starbucks” plan is working. “We said we would drive sales growth first and earnings would follow,” Niccol said.

The chain reported an 8% increase in comparable sales in the U.S. and a 6% increase internationally. Net income for the quarter was $1 billion, a major improvement over the $558 million reported in Q3 2025.

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Starbucks also said it is seeing strong interest in its Refreshers. It’s currently testing the Starbucks Spritz Collection, a carbonated variety of the beverage, in Austin, San Antonio, Texas, and St. Louis, Mo.

“The test will evaluate customer demand, operational execution and the role sparkling beverages could play in our long-term refreshment strategy, while supporting our focus on menu innovation and afternoon growth,” the company said.

In addition, Starbucks said it would raise its fiscal 2026 guidance and expects global comparable store sales growth to be near 6%.

“Back to Starbucks“ timeline

• September 2024: “Back to Starbucks” plan announced.
• October 2024: Added more retail staff with a focus on 90% internal retail leadership hires.
• November 2024: Eliminated upcharges for non-dairy milks.
• January 2025: Focus on narrowing customer wait times to four minutes or less. Also expanded parental leave for employees, offering up to 18 weeks of fully paid leave for birth parents and 12 weeks for non-birth parents.
• January 2026: Green Apron Service fully rolled out, announced goal of adding 25,000 café seats by the end of the year, and reimagined Starbucks Rewards program.
• Future plan: Double its international coffeehouse footprint, with a goal of 40,000 locations outside the U.S. (with 15,000 to 20,000 new coffeehouses in China).

Starbucks balances the new and the beloved

While Starbucks continues to pave new avenues in the way it runs its business, the fall menu is something its customer base looks forward to every year. By keeping the pumpkin theme strong and introducing new flavors to try, the chain is carefully walking the line between what people love most and what they may be curious to try next.

The coffee retailer is also focused on transforming the afternoon, which it said “generates $11 billion in sales after 11:00 a.m.,” according to an April 2026 post on the official Starbucks blog.

The aim is to create a true “second peak” by offering upbeat playlists in coffeehouse locations in the afternoons, as well as a digital billboard that will highlight afternoon food and drink picks.

Starbucks is smart to capitalize not only on making its cafes desirable places to be again, but also on creating inviting spaces for remote workers who may feel isolated working from home. It clearly has much more in the pipeline, so it’ll be fascinating to see what comes next.

Related: Starbucks, Dunkin’, and Luckin embrace non-coffee products