What Is Starbucks' 30-Second Rule, And Will It Bring Back Customers?

You could get your caffeine fix even faster if the proposal that Starbucks' CEO Brian Niccol has for the ordering experience comes to fruition. Niccol, who took the reins at the coffee chain in September 2024 after holding the top job at Chipotle for six years, announced this month on ABC's "Good Morning America" that he wanted to accelerate customers' time at the counter. What, exactly, would that look like? 

A cup of brewed coffee from the machine to your hands in under half-a-minute. "I think what you're going to see is a very orderly mobile order business with its own dedicated pickup area," Niccol told "GMA." "You're going to have an experience where when you walk in and you interact with the barista, it's going to be really quick for that brewed cup of coffee. My hope is we can get you a brewed cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds." As for more complex espresso beverages, Niccol's goal is to have those ready in four minutes or less. 

He explained that in-person efficiency and precision on delivery time for online orders was key going forward. That means providing app-using customers with the exact time their drinks will be ready, but also a slimmed-down menu. Niccol says that certain items simply aren't generating enough business to justify their existence in cafes anymore. "The way I talk about it is, we're going to do fewer things, but we're going to do fewer things better," he added.

Whether the 30-second rule will bring more clientele through Starbucks' doors obviously has yet to be seen. However, Inc. tech columnist Jason Aten thinks it's a solid component of a broader turnaround plan, citing psychology's peak-end rule. The cognitive bias suggests that people tend to evaluate an experience based on the way they felt at the most intense moment (the peak; in this case, the agony of waiting who-knows-how-long for a latte) and at its conclusion (the end; receiving said latte).

Starbucks brought on Brian Niccol to give the company a much-needed jolt in business. The brand saw a 7% decline in same-store sales in the fourth quarter, according to an earnings release in October 2024. That's the third consecutive quarter with a sales loss. A streamlined menu, which includes the elimination of the Oleato line — olive oil-infused coffees introduced by former CEO Howard Schultz that were less-than-enthusiastically received by drinkers — is just the beginning of the overhaul.

By 2025, you'll also be able to doctor your own brew again with cream, sugar, and more thanks to the reintroduction of the condiment bar — a feature the chain removed in 2021 as a pandemic safety measure. Niccol has already pulled back Starbucks' discounts offered through its mobile app in order to reframe Starbucks as a premium brand. He is also seeking to restore Starbucks' coffee house culture — rather than using cafes as a grab-and-go pit stop, the aim is to create comfortable spaces where customers will want to linger. Also making a comeback: Sharpie-written names on cups (though there's still no guarantee your barista will spell them right).