Starbucks Customers Say It's Become an Ice Cream Shop
Starbucks and Dunkin' are continually adding new features to stay competitive, like smartphone orders, seasonal discounts, and bright, social media-ready drinks.
Some former consumers aren't happy with the move away from coffee. One group of Redditors is criticizing Starbucks for becoming an ice cream business.
One user posted a photo of Starbucks' new cold foams in the Starbucks subreddit, including Caramel Brulée, Chestnut Praline, Matcha, Pumpkin, Salted Caramel, Sugar Cookie
"No need for these many cold foams," the user wrote. "[T]his is such an obvious cash grab."We are an ice cream shop," one commentator said, earning nearly 1000 upvotes
Other Starbucks employees commentated on how the Seattle-based franchise has transformed in recent years.One employee wrote, "My store sells less than like 30 brewed coffees a day.
Another employee suggested that Starbucks was encouraging social media posts about their new drinks and flavors, free publicity that drives business to Starbucks
"The reason there's so many foams is Tiktok/social media," said the Starbucks employee. "Last year so many people asked for sugar cookie foam at our location
it just makes it easier to ring up Sugar Cookie Foam instead of Vanilla Foam, Sugar Cookie in Foam."
Despite their popularity, another employee said that baristas find cold foams difficult to prepare, especially since they're updated so often.
"I also love that the holiday training didn't show us how to make the new foams," said. Similar to chocolate peppermint. One pep and one malt? 2 pep, 2 malt? Do they use malt or mocha?"