Starbucks rolls out Green Apron Service in new CX plans

Starbucks is making one of their biggest investments in customer experience (CX) in more than a decade, hoping that a renewed focus on connection and warmth will power its turnaround. Green Apron Service is the centerpiece of the plan, which is a new operating model launching nationwide. It has gone through an eight-week pilot in 1,500 stores.

Announced on July 29, Starbucks has framed the initiative as “all about making every visit feel personal, whether it’s a friendly smile, remembering your name or making your day just a little bit better.”

“A return to what makes Starbucks special”

The company says it is “giving our partners the time, tools and support to hone their craft and connect with customers.” CEO Brian Niccol underscored that “this isn’t just a new way of working - it’s a return to what makes Starbucks special: Human connection.” The company expects to see great results because maintaining human connection is becoming more important than ever with the arrival of many new artificial intelligence (AI) tools that remove the human employee from several stages of the customer journey.

In the pilot, the model delivered measurable customer experience gains. Starbucks have reported “faster service, stronger customer connections and more engaged partners.” They have returned to writing names on cups and have a new order sequence strategy to reduce the mobile ordering bottleneck that negatively impacted in-store customers. Commenting on the value of human connection, Claire Hill, customer operations director for Travel Counsellors and a CX Network Advisory Board member said that “CX is about people, both customers and employees.”

Generative AI is being deployed

Alongside staffing changes, Starbucks is also deploying Green Dot Assist, a generative-AI barista companion. It provides instant beverage prep and recipe guidance so employees can spend more time connecting with their customers. This AI deployment shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that AI-powered technologies for operations emerged as the top trend impacting the role of the CX practitioner in CX Network’s Global State of CX 2025 report.

Also, the “third place” feel is set to be restored through the remodeling of 1,000 U.S cafés by 2026. Costing an average $150,000 per store, it’s promising to offer comfortable seating, self-serve condiment bars and more personalized touches.

Faster transactions

Coffeehouses using Green Apron Service have driven improvements in transactions, sales and customer service times. Peak transaction comps have already started to grow and all-day transaction comps are outperforming the broader North American portfolio,” the company reported. Where SmartQ is deployed, there's been a double-digit improvement in café order handoffs under four minutes, now hitting 80 percent in-café compliance with that target. Drive-thru times remain consistently under four minutes, with mobile orders “more accurate and on time.”

“With innovative tools like Smart Queue and a renewed focus on people, we’re reimagining the Starbucks Experience for everyone," according to the company. 

The company says it is “reimagining the Starbucks Experience for everyone - one cup, one connection, one coffeehouse at a time."

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