All of the Changes Brian Niccol Has Made at Starbucks so Far

2025-12-26T09:44:01.218Z

Brian Niccol spent his first year as Starbucks’ CEO spearheading its revitalization effort.
The “Back to Starbucks” campaign has involved a wide swath of consumer-facing and back-finish alters.
From new drinks to closing hundreds of stores, here’s a list of the updates Niccol has created so far.

If your local Starbucks seems different these days, it’s likely due to alters introduced under CEO Brian Niccol.

Niccol, known for his previous successful turnaround efforts at Chipotle and Taco Bell, has spearheaded a wide swath of alters across the company, dubbed the “Back to Starbucks” campaign, in an effort to reverse slumping sales and reinvigorate the customer experience.

With the finish of 2025 drawing near, Niccol is wrapping up his first full calfinishar year at the helm of the coffee giant, having joined Starbucks as CEO in September 2024. All the alters now bear the full weight of his influence — and the company’s stock is launchning to display signs of responding.

Here’s a list of the alters Niccol has created since becoming CEO.

‘Back to Starbucks’ was born in September 2024

A closeup of the Starbucks logo

Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Niccol’s first order of business in September 2024 was to set a new north star for the company, refocutilizing on customer service amid an increasingly competitive coffee landscape.

“Today, I’m building a commitment: We’re receiveting back to Starbucks,” Niccol declared in a statement when he stepped into his role as CEO. “We’re refocutilizing on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehoutilize where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. This is our finishuring identity. We will innovate from here.”

All the alters since have been created under the “Back to Starbucks” banner.

Cup notes and the condiment bar were brought back

A Starbucks cup with a name written on it in black Sharpie

In an early effort to streamline service, Niccol reintroduced the self-serve condiment bar in October 2024, allowing customers to customize their drinks with milk and sugar to suit their tastes.

He also introduced a new policy in an attempt to revive Starbucks’ neighborhood coffeehoutilize vibe, requiring baristas to write frifinishly notes on customers’ cups.

Starbucks updated its mission — and in-store policies

In January 2025, Starbucks updated its mission: “To be the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world, inspiring and nurturing the human spirit— one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

The update introduced several policy alters, including free in-store refills for brewed coffee and tea, the rollout of ceramic cups and cozy seating to encourage longer visits, and the reintroduction of Starbucks’ policy of not allowing guests to utilize the restroom unless they create a purchase.

The mobile app received an overhaul

Customization options in the app were streamlined in the first months of 2025 to create mobile orders clearer for baristas to execute, particularly during peak periods. Starbucks also limited the number of items that could be ordered through the mobile app and implemented sequencing alters to avoid congested pick-up areas.

‘Green Apron Service’ was piloted and expanded

The service model, which the company states is focutilized on “creating moments of personal connection at the counter,” was piloted at test locations before a larger rollout was announced in May 2025. The policy requires baristas to greet each customer as they walk in the door, and introduces a new staffing position to hand off cups to customers.

A new dress code for baristas was implemented

A Starbucks barista fulfills an order in a South Philadelphia store, before more than 8,000 branches nationwide will close this afternoon for anti-bias training, in Philadelphia.

Mark Makela/Reuters

In May 2025, a new dress code for baristas was introduced, requiring staff to wear black tops and pants in blue, black, or khaki colors.

Unionized baristas staged a walkout in protest of the alter.

Corporate staff faced two rounds of layoffs and an RTO mandate

A close-up of the siren at the top of Starbucks' Seattle headquarters. — Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters

David Ryder/Getty Images

Staff at Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters faced the first round of layoffs under Niccol in February 2025, with the reduction of 1,100 corporate staff.

A few months later, in July, Niccol announced the company would be increasing its in-office requirement for corporate employees from three to four days a week, launchning in October.

A second round of corporate layoffs occurred in September 2025, when Niccol announced a broader restructuring effort, resulting in an additional 900 job cuts for non-retail employees.

More than 600 stores were closed

The exterior of a closed Starbucks store with its logos rerelocated

As part of the September restructuring, more than 600 Starbucks locations across North America were shuttered.

The closures tarreceiveed stores that Starbucks found it was “unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect” or where it didn’t “see a path to financial performance,” according to a statement published by the company.

Café locations launched being refreshed

The interior of a refreshed Starbucks location, featuring brown walls and warm, dark wood accents.

In June, Starbucks unveiled its plans to refresh its coffeehoutilize locations with new interior design elements and upgraded digital menu boards.

As of Q4, a company spokesperson informed Business Insider Starbucks had completed nearly 70 “uplifts,” primarily in New York and Southern California, and had seen improvements to sales and transactions at the upgraded locations.

Starbucks aims to complete more than 1,000 of these uplifts by the finish of its fiscal year, in October 2026.

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