Since his appointment as CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol has charted a course back to the company’s roots: good coffee, served swiftly, in a welcoming café. It’s an almost quixotic ambition after years in which the Starbucks experience has drifted toward something less human and more mechanical — a fast-moving conveyor belt of caffeine. The promise, however, feels refreshing, if not overdue.

Starbucks’ pivot toward efficiency began long before Niccol took over, accelerated by the pandemic’s relentless push for contactless everything. A couple of years ago, I found myself unwittingly stepping into one of their “pickup-only” locations — a slightly dystopian version of the Starbucks I once knew. There were no tables or chairs. The warm din of clinking ceramic mugs, muted conversation and the whir of espresso machines was absent, replaced by the cold glow of a giant screen listing customers’ names in a clinical, digital procession. Orders moved up the queue with all the charm of a DMV waiting room, turning green when they were ready.

I walked to the counter, expecting to place an order as I had for years. The barista, kind but firm, explained that this wasn’t possible; orders could only be made through the Starbucks app. Short on time (and honestly unwilling to find  alternative parking in downtown Chicago) I downloaded the app, placed my order and resigned myself to waiting in the sterile quiet.

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