Starbucks is getting back to basics — but trains baristas in de-escalation to manage new tensions

Since his appointment as CEO of StarbucksBrian Nicole planned a path to the roots of the company: good coffee, rapidly served, in a welcome cafe. It is almost ambitious after years in which the Starbucks experience was drifted towards something less humane and more mechanical-a fast-moving dwar on caffeine. However, the promise feels refreshed, if not late.

The Starbucks axis began to compete a long time before Nicole took over, and accelerated by the unavoidable batch for everything. Two years ago, I found myself inadvertently to one of the “Beck App” sites-a little Dystopian version Subordinate Starbucks I knew once. There were no tables or chairs. The warm debt of the tank cups, the silent conversation, and Whir of Espresso Machines were absent, and replaced by the cold glow of the names of customers in narrating the giant screen in a digital clinical procession. The orders on the waiting list moved with all the magic of the DMV waiting room, and turned green when she was ready.

I walked to the table, expecting a request as you were years ago. Parista, but the firm, explained that this was not possible; Applications can only be submitted through the Starbucks application. Short on time (frankly, he is not willing to find alternative situations in the city center ChicagoI downloaded the application, put my order and took myself to wait for the sterile calm.

Soon after, my father entered a heavy shirt and his three daughters, and it seems that he was vulgar as I was. He approached the meter, got the same interpretation that I received and returned to his daughters to attend a whisper conference. Their faces revolve around frustration, confusion and resignation. The father announced, with the indiscriminate discontent of a man who beat technology, “F ** K, we are going to Dunkin“They turned and left without another word.

Moments like this envelops what Starbucks became following its rapid expansion and friendly adaptations: the lowest café, and more than the glorious meter. The list was swallowed in a way that looks like someone was simply throwing a cold foam on the wall and seeing what was stuck, and generating additions like Refreshes inspired by Boba and Lattes olive oilThe latter is notorious not to its flavor, but for its intestinal side effects. The calm and connection that was identified as soon as Starbucks has given the way to the feverish pace of mobile phone orders and delivery capacities.

Nicole’s strategy is an attempt to restore this lost identity. It restores ceramic cups and luxury chairs for customers who want to enjoy the coffee store in the store-a nostalgic gesture as it is practical. However, this return to the model comes with new restrictions. Starting today, January 27, Starbucks must make a purchase To use the bathroom, sit on a table or even re -fill a bottle of water. The policy, designed to reaffirm the control of the chain spaces, is supported by a wave of escalation training for employees, who are now assigned to enforce these rules.

The cancellation of the escalation, which is a borrowed technique of fields such as psychological care and social work, is to resolve the calm conflict and sympathy. like Business Insider It has been reported that Starbucks Paristas has been trained to gently explain the new policy for non -resident clients, listen to their concerns, and if necessary, the problem will rise to the manager. Training aims to give employees confidence in the movement in these cases gently and respect – or at least to prevent them from boiling to a viral moments.

But Paristas, many of whom already feels the extension, are not convinced. On the “High Pregnancy” site in Philadelphia, where confrontations with customers are common, one employee describes politics luck As additional pressure. The employee said: “We know that these positions will happen frequently in our store.” “We will not be able to take the measures we need to make ourselves safe.”

According to the employee, Starbucks has not yet dealt with practical concerns, such as giving employees the ability to stop the digital requests received during the moments of tension.

Critics also described the new anti-reduction policy, noting that the 2018 Starbucks initiative was implemented after two Black men were arrested while waiting for a work meeting To start on Philadelphia – was one of the few examples of a major company that adopts inclusiveness. with Public water courses are rare Cafes are often like a shelter of reality in the daytime, the reflection feels, such as a step back.

Starbucks, for its part, defends changes as necessary to restore their cafes to the intended purpose.

“We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores,” Starbucks Jassi Anderson spokesman told Fortune. “By setting clear expectations for behavior and using our spaces, we can create a better environment for everyone.” But the line between totalitarianism and exclusive is an accurate line. What does create a “better environment” mean, and better for whom?

The tension between Starbucks and its facts has always been part of his identity. The company spent contracts in brands as “third place”, distinct from home and work – a common space where anyone can feel welcome. However, while Nicole and his team are trying to restore Starbucks in the past, they may find that everything could be for all people. The challenge is not only in serving coffee, but also in presenting it with humanity – something that the company still learns how to do it.