Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol promises bold changes as it revamps its U.S. locations

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol told investors Wednesday that he plans to revamp Starbucks' U.S. locations, adding more comfortable seating, ceramic mugs and a coffee condiment bar, with customer wait times less than four minutes .

With demand for its pricey drinks falling in key markets like the United States and China, as well as a decline in its stock price, Starbucks investors are counting on its new CEO to get the company back on track for growth.

The company suspended its fiscal 2025 guidance last week.

“Our financial results have been very disappointing and it is clear that we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers and return to growth,” said Niccol.

The CEO said he wanted to “make it easier for our customers to get a cup of coffee” and the company wanted to reduce wait times to less than four minutes. To help with this and make pricing clearer, Niccol also said the company will be simplifying its menu.

Niccol said staffing levels could increase, addressing a complaint often voiced by baristas and Starbucks Workers United, which wants to unionize Starbucks workers. “I want to make sure the teams are staffed to win every transaction,” he said.

Investors hope Niccol, an industry veteran and former head of Chipotle Mexican Grill, will simplify the company's leadership and operating structure and revitalize the coffeehouse culture at Starbucks' U.S. stores.

Niccol said ceramic mugs would be offered to customers staying at the cafe and that measures would be taken in the coming months to separate pick-up orders from sit-down orders. He said “common sense guardrails” would apply to mobile ordering.

The company's shares have risen about 26% since Niccol unexpectedly replaced Laxman Narasimhan as CEO in August. They were little changed in extended trading on Wednesday.

Starbucks on Wednesday reported a 7% decline in global comparable sales for the fourth quarter after the company last week reported preliminary results for the quarter ended Sept. 29.

Comparable transactions, which reflect store traffic, declined for the third consecutive quarter in North America.

The Seattle-based company's strategy to stimulate demand through promotions and enhanced loyalty program offerings failed amid subdued spending by cost-conscious consumers. Niccol acknowledged Wednesday that the company had focused its marketing too narrowly on rewards members.

Growth in its loyalty program was muted in the fourth quarter, with 90-day active members in the U.S. remaining flat compared to the previous quarter. In comparison, a sequential increase of 3% was reported in the third quarter.

Starbucks also faces an uphill battle in China, where it is grappling with a choppy macroeconomic recovery and strong competition from local brands.

Comparable sales in China, the company's second-largest market after the U.S., fell for three straight quarters and fell 14% in the fourth quarter.

Comparable international sales fell 9% in the fourth quarter, more than the 6.5% decline analysts expected, according to data compiled by LSEG.

The company's net income fell to $909.3 million, or 80 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Sept. 29, compared with $1.22 billion, or $1.06 per share, a year earlier .

Some menu simplifications are coming soon. A company spokesman confirmed Wednesday that the chain will remove its olive oil-infused drinks, which were endorsed by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, from the menu on Nov. 7, although the decision was made before Niccol became CEO.