Starbucks, We’re Begging You To Make These Changes

Especially as we continue to teeter towards fall, we are inevitably getting deeply nostalgic about how the early 2000s felt like the peak of autumn festivities. Companies had gone all in on betting that more intense fall celebrations would do well in American markets, and they struck gold.

Videos by Sporked

One of these companies that does fall unlike any other is Starbucks. Their invention of the Pumpkin Spice Latte over two decades years ago meant that people were deeply attracted to the world of Starbucks in the fall, and what they had to offer. And sure, we’re thinking about this with profound fondness right now since it’s fall, but it made us realize that Starbucks might be past its glory days and be needing to get back in touch with its roots of what made it so special back then. There truly just was a different aura about it even just 10 years ago.

So, we got down to thinking about what changes we would actually like to see from Starbucks that might make it feel a little bit more special again. But it’s not just us. Starbucks fans on Reddit have corroborated our wishes and the fans have spoken: it’s time for a change.

Dining (And Sipping) In

To us, this suggestion of bringing back more capacity for comfortable indoor Starbucks seating seems like kind of a given. What used to be a chain of coffee houses that allowed their customers to get their drink exactly how they wanted and then turn around and enjoy it in a welcoming environment is a long forgotten fantasy for us at this point. In recent years, seating has been reduced to maybe a couple of tables with metal chairs, and the environment just feels less welcoming overall.

It’s no longer a place that you can sit back, relax, and have a catch-up with friends or get some work done. Now it has seemingly transitioned into more of a true fast food environment that’s all about efficiency and getting people in and out as quickly as possible… and it sucks. For a lot of of us who may live in places that are lacking third spaces, Starbucks felt like it could fill that void for a little while, but not anymore. It’d be nice to see Starbucks harbor community again in a way that feels respectful of their loyal customers.

Seasonality Is Fun!

Next up on our list of simple changes, actually goes back on recent development within Starbucks. Just earlier this summer Starbucks decided to make many of their seasonal flavors that fans eagerly wait for full-time menu items. But ever since that change fans have pointed out that it actually takes away from some of the excitement around seasonality. There’s nothing to make the new launches more exciting if we don’t have to wait for the seasonal products.

Of course, that doesn’t apply to things like pumpkin spice and peppermint, but even the things in the holiday off-season that were seasonal flavors like pistachio and lavender are no longer as exciting. Many people pointed out that even though they’re happy that they can get their favorite pistachio latte all year round, some of the appeal was the fact that it’s a limited-time item. It also encourages people to try new menu items much less if they can always get the seasonal items that they want on any given day. We’ve realized quite quickly that seasonal excitement becomes mundane when oversaturated in the market, just as we are seeing with pumpkin spice being overdone.

A Tragic New Recipe

This last suggestion was one that I honestly didn’t expect to find many other people in support of. But as soon as I opened Reddit, there was a whole swarm of people dedicated to the same frustration. You see, the Starbucks chai lattes used to be so delicious. It was sweet, creamy, and packed with spicy flavor. And it felt like a shot to the heart when they finally changed the recipe.

We get why they changed it, though. Now it’s available to be customized in its sugar and caffeine levels. This is not our issue. In fact, it actually seems like a really smart decision that is accommodating to a lot of people. What is frustrating about this is that they changed the actual recipe of the spice levels and concentration of flavor in the base in the process. There’s no amount of customization that can get you to the same blend of spices and flavors as it was originally, and for the die-hard Starbucks chai fans out there it has been devastating.