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Starbucks Might Lose the War on Straws
In 2018 I heard rumors of Starbucks removing straws from their drinks with the goal of entirely phasing them out by 2020. Recently, the reality of 2020 hit me in the face. I walked into Starbucks to pick up my drink and I had to ask for a straw (gasp!) Of course, the barista gave me one without issue, but the future is here. Plastic straws are on the way out.
To be clear, many restaurants are getting rid of plastic straws. Starbucks is not alone in this quest, but they’re obviously a big name in the beverage industry. When they make a decision, other companies will notice. So their choice will like have a ripple effect on the food industry.
I also confess I love Starbucks. I spend more money than I’d like to admit there and I’m not going to stop. I respect their efforts to reduce waste and their focus on sustainability. That said, I also hold them to high regard when it comes to customer experiences and innovation, and this is where the issues lie.
If you’re familiar with the Starbucks menu, you may know the cold beverages draw more attention than the hot. Starbucks has received a lot of attention in recent years for its inclusion of cold brew coffee and it has always received recognition for its Frappuccinos. You’ll also know the omission of straws will almost exclusively impact cold beverages. I’ve seen people use straws in hot drinks, but they seemingly discard the wrapper without reading the text that states: “not recommended for use in hot beverages.” This should be an indication that people expect to consume a cold beverage differently than a hot beverage.
The standard replacement for most hot beverages will be a lid made of compostable plastic. This lid more closely represents the lid on hot beverages than the cover and straw combo formerly on cold beverages, but there is one big difference from the hot lid: the opening is much bigger. This new lid will come standard on most beverages, though drinks such as Frappuccinos that have dome lids will come with a paper straw.
This is going to be transition for must consumers, many of whom have had the same coffee routine for years. Change isn’t necessarily bad, especially when it’s done with good intent, but some consumers are going to resist this change. The most likely because the opening is large enough…
