Coffee guzzlers with allergies or aversions to milk are winning this week as Starbucks has announced it will no longer charge for non-dairy alternatives in its drinks.
Beginning on November 7, Starbucks will stop charging extra for customers to use non-dairy replacements for milk and creamer. That's also the same day that Starbucks will launch its winter holiday menu.
Brian Niccol, Starbucks' new chairman and CEO, said this was a sign of Starbucks "embracing" customer customization.
"Core to the Starbucks Experience is the ability to customize your beverage to make it yours. By removing the extra charge for non-dairy milks we're embracing all the ways our customers enjoy their Starbucks," he said in the newsletter.
Starbucks faced backlash in the past from vegans and animal rights activists who thought it unfair they had to pay extra to make decisions they felt were ethical while ordering their coffees, according to The New York Post. The coffee shop also was sued in March by customers complaining that they charged "excessively high" fees for non-dairy milk.
Swapping out dairy for non-dairy is the second-most requested customization by Starbucks drinkers, according to the company. The most popular change is adding a shot of espresso, but it's unlikely the cafe is going to drop the charge for that anytime soon.
Starbucks has estimated that customers who pay to swap out their milk with end up saving more than 10 percent on their coffee orders.
Niccol intimated in the press release that there were other changes coming to the cafe as well.
“I made a commitment that we’d get back to Starbucks, focusing on what has always set Starbucks apart – a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather and we serve the finest coffee handcrafted by our skilled baristas,” Niccol said. “This is just one of many changes we’ll make to ensure a visit to Starbucks is worth it every time.”
One of those changes appears to be the end of Oleato olive oil drinks, with the company announcing it was going to discontinue the beverage.
Niccol also revealed his plan to overhaul stores in an effort to make them more efficient and to improve customer satisfaction. He issued a statement earlier this month saying he wanted to make it "easier for our customers to get a cup of coffee," but did not provide details on what exactly that means.
