Starbucks is widely touted as one of the leaders in moving guests to a mobile-ordering platform—but it’s been a victim of its own success in some ways. In its latest earnings call, in fact, the chain cited the logjam at conventional units from customers who ordered and paid remotely as a partial reason for a slowdown in same-store sales. Convenience-seeking guests who submit virtual orders are waiting in longer lines than traditional customers, the company has said. The response: A pickup-only store, which opened April 6, is being tested at Starbucks’ headquarters.
Similar to Amazon Go’s prototype, the store will be open only to the 5,000 employees who work at the home office. Starbucks declined to comment on what it’s learned so far, due to the store’s short tenure. Details of the exact menu haven’t been revealed, but the glass-walled unit will pass orders to customers via a window.
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- Starbucks will redirect mobile orders placed at its existing HQ cafes to its pickup-only site.