Great piece - a timely topic that frustrates the masses almost as much as "word salads" used to. As a former business student of Production & Operations Management, the solution isn't rocket science. Just create 2 service delivery lines (for customers) and order prep (for staff): one for "simple coffee" and the other for "all other" orders. The "simple coffee" customers get their coffee quickly and the others must wait for the longer time it takes to prepare their "cappa- frappa- makka- crappa- whatever" drinks. Problem solved!
From a traveler's perspective, while in an airport or train station, I often opt out for Dunkin Donuts. You can get a latte or other drink at some airport locations, but YOU have to wait. The rest of us get a cup of coffee quickly. So, my advice is every Starbucks has two machines and two lines, one for the specialty drinks and one for the basic coffee. Let them wait, I have a train or a plane to catch!
How about Starbucks have a separate line for just plain black coffee? It’s aggravating to get behind all the specialty orders. I now go to Illy vending machines. They’re great.
I am drinking a cup of Illy coffee at home right now! It is outstanding coffee. A little pricey but you get what you pay for. Wish they would have had those airport machine back when I traveled often.
This sounds like the classic production capacity problem for Starbucks. Each of their airport locations has enough capacity to handle a maximum number of patrons per unit of time. They already know what the plane schedules into and out of the airports are; and they know how many patrons per hour they can handle.
If they want to handle more of the patrons, they need to up their capacity, which for most production organizations means they need to attack the restriction point in their process.
> Not enough time for the barista? Add more people.
> Not enough brew to be available as soon as the customer arrives? Add more capacity to the brewing stations.
> Some drinks take too much time and hold up the line? Find ways to make them more quickly or don't offer those drinks at these locations.
They could optimize for peak customer times; but chances are it would be more valuable to optimize for the number of customers that represent, say 60% of the hours. Hopefully their systems are logging how many customers come in, how much and what they buy, and how they are distributed throughout the day. My guess is that their loads are pretty consistent given that the flight schedules are pretty consistent.
Of course seasonality, day of week and other factors affect it too.
There is no completely best answer -- but there are best answers based on whether they want to optimize for shortest wait, highest revenue, or hitting some values for revenue and/or profit that might not be the highest, but are acceptable.
BTW -- I'd be shocked if they are not already doing this.
Think of it in the same way you think of yield management for airlines or payroll management for baseball teams. Some optimize for highest revenue -- but chances are most manage to reach highest profit -- and that doesn't always coincide with highest customer satisfaction. In Starbucks' case, that would be wait times vs. highest profit, for instance.
I think they will end up dropping the number of different "styles" of coffee, end up with just some basic drinks without the half fat, half foam, two pumps of this, a pump of that nonsense. You can only fit so many people behind the counter even in their regular stores, so adding more people is not always an option. Plus I would think it's a struggle to get people to work at an airport for barista wages (but I don't know that for sure).
I thought of that as well but quickly retracted it as there are a number of customers that have “their” drink. To not offer it could start to undermine the positive experience with the brand. I don’t drink coffee so coming from a very narrow perspective…
“When I think about the airports and such,” he said, “there’s such a huge opportunity for us to simplify some of the execution there so that we get people the great throughput that they want so they can get on their way.”
I know that “throughput” is in the dictionary but why, oh why do people in power suits feel the need to use such a highfalutin word as throughput? Don’t get me wrong. I love a new, interesting word as much as anyone but what I don’t appreciate is a word my mind trips over. It’s what I like to call executive jargon. Its presentation speak for board room reports. Maybe he should climb out of his ivory tower and order some of his throughput for his cup and try to drink it.
As far as the CEO shooter, I see that his charges will likely be for terrorism which to my senior mind is bull. It’s no wonder Mangione is being lionized by the under 30 age group. Count this 77 year old among them. Until everyone is safe from gun violence, then no one should consider themselves safe from said violence. There are more guns in the country now than citizens of it and it will only get worse from here. Legislators could have done something about it. Instead, they’ve chosen to allow it to escalate, thank you GWB and legislators everywhere since Columbine. The best that ceo will get from this quarter will be my thoughts and prayers.
I don't go to Starbucks because they're so f___ing overpriced and overrated! They're two lovely alternatives in Red Wing: Mandy's Coffeehouse and Restaurant and Caribou Coffee. You pay about 30 to 40% less for comparable quality.
Funny story about Mandy's Coffeehouse: Once around noon Mandy posted a note on their big menu behind the counter saying they ran out of the soup of the day. I rushed up and said, "I saw your note. It sounds like a job for Souper Man", to which she replied, "No, I have to consult my Souper-visor."
Never understood the draw of Starbucks, their coffee is terrible. I would rather go to McDonalds or Tim Hortons here in Canada and get a good cup of coffee. Never felt the need to drink a frufru coffee drink.
We have Tim Hortons in the airports I frequent, there is usually a line but it moves pretty quickly since they don't have a lot of fancy drinks available. Grab a coffee and a donut and be on your way.
Why not place the order online... perhaps a Starbucks app may include this option. Customer may select the location where to place the order, then select from a coffee menu, then pay.. When customer arrives at the location, he/she simply picks it up.
Get the app. Airports now take mobile orders. If you want a smorgasbord of ingredients in your coffee order while waiting in the security line. I only get a latte but I do it all the time.
All of the Starbucks in my neighborhood make the regular coffee for you while you wait where you just paid. No need to be corralled with the rest of the specialty coffee drinkers.
Great piece - a timely topic that frustrates the masses almost as much as "word salads" used to. As a former business student of Production & Operations Management, the solution isn't rocket science. Just create 2 service delivery lines (for customers) and order prep (for staff): one for "simple coffee" and the other for "all other" orders. The "simple coffee" customers get their coffee quickly and the others must wait for the longer time it takes to prepare their "cappa- frappa- makka- crappa- whatever" drinks. Problem solved!
From a traveler's perspective, while in an airport or train station, I often opt out for Dunkin Donuts. You can get a latte or other drink at some airport locations, but YOU have to wait. The rest of us get a cup of coffee quickly. So, my advice is every Starbucks has two machines and two lines, one for the specialty drinks and one for the basic coffee. Let them wait, I have a train or a plane to catch!
How about Starbucks have a separate line for just plain black coffee? It’s aggravating to get behind all the specialty orders. I now go to Illy vending machines. They’re great.
I am drinking a cup of Illy coffee at home right now! It is outstanding coffee. A little pricey but you get what you pay for. Wish they would have had those airport machine back when I traveled often.
That very thing is in the works as reported by WSJ some time ago
I mean...if all I want is a decent cup of hot black coffee...why would I go to Starbucks?
Because you're in an airport and it's the only option?
This sounds like the classic production capacity problem for Starbucks. Each of their airport locations has enough capacity to handle a maximum number of patrons per unit of time. They already know what the plane schedules into and out of the airports are; and they know how many patrons per hour they can handle.
If they want to handle more of the patrons, they need to up their capacity, which for most production organizations means they need to attack the restriction point in their process.
> Not enough time for the barista? Add more people.
> Not enough brew to be available as soon as the customer arrives? Add more capacity to the brewing stations.
> Some drinks take too much time and hold up the line? Find ways to make them more quickly or don't offer those drinks at these locations.
They could optimize for peak customer times; but chances are it would be more valuable to optimize for the number of customers that represent, say 60% of the hours. Hopefully their systems are logging how many customers come in, how much and what they buy, and how they are distributed throughout the day. My guess is that their loads are pretty consistent given that the flight schedules are pretty consistent.
Of course seasonality, day of week and other factors affect it too.
There is no completely best answer -- but there are best answers based on whether they want to optimize for shortest wait, highest revenue, or hitting some values for revenue and/or profit that might not be the highest, but are acceptable.
BTW -- I'd be shocked if they are not already doing this.
Think of it in the same way you think of yield management for airlines or payroll management for baseball teams. Some optimize for highest revenue -- but chances are most manage to reach highest profit -- and that doesn't always coincide with highest customer satisfaction. In Starbucks' case, that would be wait times vs. highest profit, for instance.
I think they will end up dropping the number of different "styles" of coffee, end up with just some basic drinks without the half fat, half foam, two pumps of this, a pump of that nonsense. You can only fit so many people behind the counter even in their regular stores, so adding more people is not always an option. Plus I would think it's a struggle to get people to work at an airport for barista wages (but I don't know that for sure).
That's a good tactic. Let's see if you're right, Melissa. If either of us hears about, let's report back here. ;-)
I'd be curious if anybody has any alternative methods they can accomplish the task.
I thought of that as well but quickly retracted it as there are a number of customers that have “their” drink. To not offer it could start to undermine the positive experience with the brand. I don’t drink coffee so coming from a very narrow perspective…
Just call them mini outlets or something similar.
Good branding that sets an appropriate expectation.
An application that allows people to see the wealth distribution in a neighborhood sounds like the perfect tool to plan house burglaries.
“When I think about the airports and such,” he said, “there’s such a huge opportunity for us to simplify some of the execution there so that we get people the great throughput that they want so they can get on their way.”
I know that “throughput” is in the dictionary but why, oh why do people in power suits feel the need to use such a highfalutin word as throughput? Don’t get me wrong. I love a new, interesting word as much as anyone but what I don’t appreciate is a word my mind trips over. It’s what I like to call executive jargon. Its presentation speak for board room reports. Maybe he should climb out of his ivory tower and order some of his throughput for his cup and try to drink it.
As far as the CEO shooter, I see that his charges will likely be for terrorism which to my senior mind is bull. It’s no wonder Mangione is being lionized by the under 30 age group. Count this 77 year old among them. Until everyone is safe from gun violence, then no one should consider themselves safe from said violence. There are more guns in the country now than citizens of it and it will only get worse from here. Legislators could have done something about it. Instead, they’ve chosen to allow it to escalate, thank you GWB and legislators everywhere since Columbine. The best that ceo will get from this quarter will be my thoughts and prayers.
I don't go to Starbucks because they're so f___ing overpriced and overrated! They're two lovely alternatives in Red Wing: Mandy's Coffeehouse and Restaurant and Caribou Coffee. You pay about 30 to 40% less for comparable quality.
Me, too. I would rather support the local coffee houses that have good coffee than the overpriced and bitter stuff in Starbucks.
Funny story about Mandy's Coffeehouse: Once around noon Mandy posted a note on their big menu behind the counter saying they ran out of the soup of the day. I rushed up and said, "I saw your note. It sounds like a job for Souper Man", to which she replied, "No, I have to consult my Souper-visor."
Never understood the draw of Starbucks, their coffee is terrible. I would rather go to McDonalds or Tim Hortons here in Canada and get a good cup of coffee. Never felt the need to drink a frufru coffee drink.
We have Tim Hortons in the airports I frequent, there is usually a line but it moves pretty quickly since they don't have a lot of fancy drinks available. Grab a coffee and a donut and be on your way.
Why not place the order online... perhaps a Starbucks app may include this option. Customer may select the location where to place the order, then select from a coffee menu, then pay.. When customer arrives at the location, he/she simply picks it up.
If waiting for a coffee will make you late for your flight then you may have bigger concerns to address with your travel arrangements.
Get the app. Airports now take mobile orders. If you want a smorgasbord of ingredients in your coffee order while waiting in the security line. I only get a latte but I do it all the time.
All of the Starbucks in my neighborhood make the regular coffee for you while you wait where you just paid. No need to be corralled with the rest of the specialty coffee drinkers.
I have always wanted a line for just plain old black coffee. It makes business sense.