Why Airport Starbucks Lines Are So Long And What The Company Is Doing About It

Let’s face it, walking into any Starbucks and encountering a long queue of customers is a bit of a letdown in any circumstance. But when you’re trying to catch a connecting flight and need a quick dose of caffeine, lengthy lines can be downright infuriating.

Unfortunately, it seems that those airport locations are always more congested than the typical Starbucks store. And it’s not entirely due to the fact that airports tend to be busy places.

The root of the problem

Starbucks saw its stock value spike when former Chipotle boss Brian Niccol was named as the coffee chain’s new CEO earlier this year. And part of his vision for the company is reduced wait times at all locations.

With a goal of four minutes or less between placing an order and picking it up, that means shops in particularly busy airports like New York’s LaGuardia might have to cut their times by more than half.

And while it stands to reason that Startbucks is more crowded in the busiest airports, that’s only part of the story. Most of these locations are licensed to third-party companies, which saves Starbucks some corporate cash but limits its profits and can negatively impact the brand’s consistency from store to store.

But sales have been down companywide and wait times remain high, particularly at airports, so Starbucks is embracing technology to help solve both problems.

Rethinking the process

Expect to see a lot more self-service features at airport Starbucks locations, including digital payment kiosks and other platforms aimed at keeping the line moving as quickly and orderly as possible.

Other stores are likely to embrace high-tech strategies to achieve Niccol’s goals, including the use of automated robots to handle at least some of the work currently being done by baristas.

Chris Agee November 25th, 2024

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