Starbucks Is Slashing 13 Drinks From Its Menu — Here’s What’s Getting Cut

One of America’s leading coffee chains is trying to return to its roots, but that realignment isn’t without a few significant changes. 

Starbucks is cutting 13 drinks as part of a more significant overhaul of its current menu, the brand announced on Monday. Starting March 4, the Seattle-based coffee chain will discontinue nine Frappuccinos and a handful of other drinks as part of its overarching “Back to Starbucks” initiative. It’s all in the name of further distilling the brand’s image down to its “core identity” — and, in the brand’s words, those 13 menu items “aren’t commonly purchased, can be complex to make, or are like other beverages on our menu.” 

This is only the beginning: Between now and the end of the fiscal year in September, Starbucks plans to cut an estimated 30% of its current menu. The company wouldn’t confirm to Food & Wine how many menu items it currently offers or how many would be included in this reduction — but based on the Starbucks app’s current offerings, this could mean nearly 100 drinks, breakfast items, pastries, and other snacks. 

The gap leaves room for greater innovation and shorter wait times at cafés, per the brand. Many of the discontinued drinks are Crème Frappuccinos, a coffee-free drink that blends the brand’s signature Frapp base with syrups, cookie crumbles, sauces, and other mix-ins. The decadent drinks, which often include layers of sauces and multiple steps, can also be time-consuming and complex to create behind the bar. (On social media, it’s often a running joke among baristas that Frappuccinos are particularly “annoying,” time-consuming, or otherwise arduous to complete.)

It’s important to note, though, especially for Frappuccino enthusiasts, that Starbucks says most of the discontinued drinks can still be ordered with a few customizations — such as adding syrups to the Vanilla Bean Frappuccino. But as quite a few baristas and other folks in the r/Starbucks subreddit emphasize, extra mocha sauce or caramel drizzle could increase the price. 

Despite changes to the brand’s matcha formula earlier this year, the Iced Matcha Lemonade is also on its way out. The Royal English Breakfast Latte, White Hot Chocolate, and Honey Almondmilk Flat White are all going with it. Starbucks recommends ordering the London Fog Latte for a tea-based drink or customizing the Flat White with non-dairy creamer and sweetener. Meanwhile, you can add a couple of pumps of mocha or white chocolate mocha to the regular Hot Chocolate. 

The menu cut isn’t the only substantial change the company’s taking. CEO Brian Niccol shared a Monday letter that Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 of its corporate employees in March. In addition, the brand intends to eliminate hundreds of other open and unfilled roles. 

“We are simplifying our structure, removing layers and duplication, and creating smaller, more nimble teams. Our intent is to operate more efficiently, increase accountability, reduce complexity, and drive better integration,” Niccol writes. “All with the goal of being more focused and able to drive greater impact on our priorities.” 

Starbucks is taking big steps to reevaluate its approach to coffee, but only time will tell if it’ll all land well with customers.