Starbucks wants to put its “coffee” front and center.
On Jan. 26, the coffee chain changed its name — in some places — to “The Starbucks Coffee Company.” The name appears in a new TV commercial, as well as its website and app.
Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol has also dropped the moniker in official earnings calls and interviews. Though it is still legally the Starbucks Corporation, the multinational chain’s public-facing name change is all part of its coffeehouse-inspired rebrand under Niccol.
After Niccol took the helm of the company in September, he shared his plans to get its 40,000+ locations back to their “community coffeehouse roots.”
Some of these “third place”-focused efforts include serving beverages in ceramic mugs for customers dining in its cafes and having its baristas write personalized messages on customer’s cups — the latter of which is highlighted in the new campaign.
It also now offers free refills on hot brewed or iced coffee, or hot or iced tea served in ceramic mugs or personal cups for customers who choose to order “for here,” and it brought back the condiment bar for adding your own milk and sugar — a practice that went away at the height of the pandemic.
Niccol also recently rvealed during Starbucks’ first quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings call on Jan. 28 that the company would be reducing its food and beverage offerings by 30% by the end of 2025, though he did not elaborate on which items would be affected.
As part of the company’s rebrand, it announced it would be reducing the frequency of its discounts and promotions in October.
And in January, it reversed its open-door policy, requiring anyone who wishes to lounge in its cafes or use its restrooms to make a purchase.
“We want to ensure our spaces are prioritized for use by our customers,” Starbucks wrote at the time.
