This story was originally published by MyNorthwest.com
Tired of waiting in line at the airport for your coffee?
Starbucks is overhauling how it manages thousands of licensed coffeehouses across the U.S., shifting to a segment-based operating model and testing new ordering technology at high-traffic locations, such as airports.
The company announced the changes this week in a blog post by Aaron Koransky, the senior vice president of the company’s U.S. Licensed Coffeehouse Business. The restructuring moves away from a regional management approach in favor of one organized around the types of environments where licensed stores operate — including travel hubs, hospitals, grocery stores, and university campuses.
“A Starbucks in a hospital, a grocery store, or an airport face very different realities,” Koransky wrote.
Licensed locations — those operated by outside partners rather than the company itself — account for roughly 40% of Starbucks’ nearly 17,000 U.S. stores. The restructuring is aimed at closing the experience gap between company-operated and licensed locations, where Starbucks has historically had less direct control.
Ordering kiosks and scheduled ordering
To tackle long lines at the busiest sites, the company is exploring ordering kiosks and scheduled ordering through the Starbucks app at airports and other high-volume locations. It is also deploying new brewed coffee equipment across licensed stores.
“Whether customers order ahead, order digitally, or order at the counter, the result should feel familiar, fast, and unmistakably Starbucks,” Koransky wrote.
Starbucks also outlined plans to introduce performance-based incentives for licensees, assign dedicated consulting support, accelerate new store construction and renovations, and allow greater sourcing flexibility so operators can right-size menus and equipment for smaller or more constrained environments.
The initiative is part of the company’s broader “Back to Starbucks” strategy under CEO Brian Niccol, which includes remodeling 1,000 stores by the end of 2026.
Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here.
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