Starbucks is bringing back an old-school feature customers have been asking for for years: ‘I miss those days’

Starbucks is going back to the future.

The coffee giant is making big changes, bringing back old-school self-service stations and comfortable seating in its stores amid sluggish sales figures.

Starbucks removed the stations, which had milk, sugar, sweeteners, spices and stirrers, during the Covid pandemic, leaving extra work for busy baristas and slowing service times.

Now, new CEO Brian Niccol — who took over in September — is re-implementing the self-service stations customers have come to expect for years.

“Remember when we poured our milk at Starbucks? I miss those days,” one customer wrote nostalgically on X earlier this month.

“When Starbucks closed the spice bars during Covid, the job of personalization shifted to the baristas behind the counter,” David Garfield, global head of industries at consulting firm AlixPartners, told CNN. “This caused delays.”

By early 2025, all Starbucks locations will again have self-serve stations in an effort to take the burden off baristas — which appears to be part of a larger theme for the chain, which admits Starbucks overworked them baristas with endless different ways to prepare one. DRINKS

“Our goal is to make sure our bartenders have the time to provide not only great craft brews, but also hospitality,” a Starbucks spokesperson said via CNN.

“We’re bringing back the coffee spice bar because both our customers are asking for it and our baristas say it would help them provide the speed of service they want to provide,” said new CEO Brian Niccol.

Adding self-serve stations is just one of the ways Starbucks is taking the heat away from baristas.

When Niccol took over the chain in September. 9, he noted that one of his priorities to accelerate growth at the company is to simplify the “overly complex” menu so baristas can speed up service.

Menu items that are departing include Starbucks’ olive oil drinks, which were only available for one year. These controversial drinks were officially removed from the menu in November. 7.

The company is also bringing back Sharpies, having bartenders handwrite customers’ names on their drinks.

They will also bring comfortable chairs to some of its stores, further giving some Starbucks locations an old-school vibe where customers can sit for hours while relaxing or doing remote work.