SEATTLE – Sometimes,
complaining can bring about good things, as Starbucks customers found out after
gripping about menu changes, Bloomberg reports. When the coffeehouse chain
purchased La Boulange bakery two years ago, the company began adding gourmet
pastries to its lineup, but not all customers enjoyed the fancier eats. In fact,
many started lobbying for the return of old favorites like lemon cake slices.
“We’ve got a few products
that we are going to bring back from the old menu,” said Troy Alstead, COO.
“Some customers missed a few things.”
This week, banana, pumpkin
and iced-lemon loaf cake slices are back on the menu at U.S. locations, but the
pastries will not be exactly like the old ones, as new recipes from La Boulange
will be used. Part of the challenge for Starbucks has been to develop a menu
that will drive growth in this country, with its flood of coffee shops.
Meanwhile, fast-food
chains with robust coffee programs like McDonald’s are putting additional
pressure on Starbucks. Taco Bell and Burger King have revamped breakfast menus,
making the right menu even more vital for the morning daypart.
Alstead said despite some
negative comments about missing favorites, customers have been largely pleased
with the new bakery items. The redone menu restoring the banana, pumpkin and
lemon cake slices will be slowly rolled out market by market. At stores owned
by Starbucks, food brought in 20% of sales during the last fiscal year, up a
percentage point from the previous two fiscal years.
Food is part of an overall
strategy to go beyond coffee into tea and even
alcohol, which the company will add to many of its U.S. locations in the
coming years. Starbucks also has its eyes on a Chinese expansion after its
success in South
Korea.