Last Monday, 3/3, Starbucks released a spring drink menu, infusing traditional spring flavors into popularly ordered drinks. The infamous coffee chain often jazzes up its menu upon the arrival of a new season, enhancing its monthly drinkers with the addition of new flavors, as seen with renowned pumpkin spice flavors in the fall and peppermint-style drinks in the wintertime.
The items comprising the new spring menu are as follows: iced Cherry Chai latte, iced lavender cream oat milk matcha, iced lavender oat milk latte, midnight drink, blackberry sage refresher, and a cortado.
Though the introduction of new menu items stimulates revenue growth by attracting intrigued customers, are the drinks being prepared actually enjoyable?
According to Retail Brew, “Starbucks’s fourth-quarter earnings showed continued strength in its premium beverage offerings—particularly, of course, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Comparable global store sales rose 8% in Q4, with North American and US comparable store sales also up 8%, boosted by a 6% jump in average consumer spending and a 2% rise in transactions. Net revenue increased 11% YoY to $9.4 billion globally, and 12% to $6.9 billion in North America. The coffee giant also grew its margin to 23.2% in North America in the quarter, largely driven by a reduction in store operating expense as a result of investments in training and equipment.”
All of this data reveals that Starbucks lovers grow to value the chain even more when they are met with recently developed flavors, thus increasing the number of visits.
Students of Green Level High School are surrounded by two local Starbucks, one located on West Williams Street, 2.3 miles away, and one located on NC-55, exactly 2 miles away from the school. Each of these, serving as a hotspot for lunch or a caffeine boost during the school day, curated an internal desire to gauge how students enjoyed these new additions to the menu.
Senior Lauren Eggers describes being a fan of their traditional seasonal menu items. “I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I love their holiday chai drinks. I feel like this is definitely fitting for spring, but I do feel like their other seasonal drink, especially the winter menu, is better.”
When prompted about the specific tastes she ordered, Eggers states, “ I tried the cherry chai, and I also added a scoop of the cherry powder to my strawberry acai refresher.”
Further discerning the taste she was met with when trying this chai, she denotes, “I feel like it was pretty good. The cherry has a medicine undertaste, like your stereotypical cherry-flavored cough syrup or cough drops. I know I enjoyed it, but I’ve definitely heard that other people do not find it favorable.”
Freshman Rowan McElreath also tried the cherry powder in the complimented strawberry acai refresher. Contrasting Eggers, she emphasizes, “I was disappointed. I was really looking forward to the two flavors together, but the taste was more sour than I had anticipated.”
Curious about how her enjoyment compared to their other holiday menus, the freshman states, “I really enjoy the fall items, specifically the pumpkin chai. I feel like both the fall and winter menus were more diverse in what they offer customers in comparison to the spring menu.”
This is a recurring theme pertaining to these drinks. It seems that while Starbucks’s spring menu brings some fresh and exciting options, not all customers are fully satisfied with the new flavors. The reactions from Lauren Egger and Rowan McElreath show a contrast in how people are experiencing the new drinks.
Both students agree that the spring menu lacks the same variety and appeal as past season offerings. The winter and fall menus have had a wider range of flavors that catered to different tastes, whether that was the comforting spice of pumpkin or the familiar peppermint. Spring options rely on heavily floral and fruit-based notes such as cherry and lavender, which do not appear to resonate with as broad an audience.
While Starbucks’s adjusted menu introduces innovative flavors and an exciting seasonal shift, the reception of these drinks has been mixed by avid Starbucks consumers. As Starbucks continues to innovate with seasonal flavors, it will be vital for them to strike a balance between the new and adventurous options of cherry and lavender and integrate them with familiar favorites to ensure they meet the diverse tastes and expectations of their loyal customers.
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