We haven’t heard much from Sarbuck’s in the last little while. Does that mean the premium coffee vendor is sticking by its promise to streamline its menu and return to its roots?
The one… The ONLY Starbuck’s Double Chocolate Brownie.
Is it going? Coming back? Staying right where it is?
Maybe… Maybe not!
We did mention, in a recent edition of Fast Food Week, that there seems to be some confusion at Starbuck’s over what’s going on with the menu, the décor, the business model – just generally the promise from CEO Brian Niccol to go ‘Back to Starbucks’, returning the one-time community hangout to its original concept.
Our last ‘update’ specifically featured almost simultaneous announcements that Niccol and his crew were moving forward with their campaign to simplify the menu – with a whole laundry list of updates and economies that implies. But another ‘force’ in the organization was promoting a whole list of fancy, fussy summer bev specials, puffing up the menu right after Niccol had trimmed it down.
Now, it’s food…
Now we’re seeing a number of summer season food and treat announcements and ‘returns to the menu’. Some are hard to contest, while others seem to just be coming on with little thought or rele-vance to the Grand Niccol Plan.
The latest just days ago, was the much touted return of what some fans (at least) were calling the greatest bakery item ever cancelled by Starbucks. We refer to the Double Chocolate Brownie, which a loyal corps of fans had been demanding be reinstated on the new slimmer menu.
The DCB was slated to go based on low sales, back in April. And quietly left the roster. But when that became widely known, die-hard fans began their social media campaign to bring it back again. It’s been quite a noisy campaign. And somebody at Starbuck’s has noticed!
A shaky return…
It’s been a shaky return, thus far. Starbuck’s unsigned but official website earlier this week posted a sparse notice that the DCB was on the way back. Not much detail aside from a photo and a Calorie count…
One commenter – a delighted fan – quickly reacted: “I thought these were gone forever!”
“Best brownies I’ve ever had in my life,” commented another fan.
“The best return in history!” an excited user commented to Starbucks’ Instagram post.
Yet another DCB lover – who had taken the time seek details at their local Starbucks – advised: “Yeah, they discontinued them, but then changed their minds. Stores should start receiving them again over the next week or so.”
The apparent behind-the-scenes confusion about who’s in charge at Starbuck’s – if not addressed promptly – will result in at least two unintended and unwanted consequences. 1.) Fans will bet upset. And 2.) everybody at Starbuck’s will start running around in ragged circles, in which nobody can be confident they know what’s actually going on.
One voice, please!
If Starbucks wants to avoid customer confusion, and the annoyance that’s bound to engender, it must get all its so-called spokespeople back on the same page, coordinating with each other behind the scenes on policies and actions, and speaking with a single, authoritative voice.
Preferably, Brian Niccol’s…
~ Maggie J.