The Starbucks Turnaround That Has Baristas and Customers Steamed

Business|The Starbucks C.E.O. Trying Hard to Deliver Your Drink Right, and Fast

For Starbucks, the Strawberry Matcha Strato Frappuccino was one of the hottest drinks of summer.

For Brooke Allen, a 23-year-old barista, the drink was the bane of her existence.

The frothy concoction required six ingredients and two blenders. Under new policies, baristas are also required to greet customers and make eye contact when handing over drinks. They must also write a genuine message on each cup.

All within four minutes.

“If it’s the only drink I have to make, I can probably do it in 40 or 50 seconds,” said Ms. Allen, who works part-time at a Starbucks near her school, University of California, Davis. “But it’s frustrating to see orders for that come on during peak times. That one is so complicated.”

For Brian Niccol, who became Starbucks’s chief executive one year ago, the Strawberry Matcha Strato Frappuccino is a test of his turnaround strategy. Since lured to Starbucks from Chipotle Mexican Grill with a $100 million pay package (a large part to make up for compensation he walked away from at Chipotle), he has worked at a highly caffeinated tempo to get Starbucks’s mojo back.

Mr. Niccol got rid of charges for nondairy milk and brought back the coffee condiment station. He moved new people into the executive suite. The company is investing more than $500 million to add employees and develop order-sequencing technology that aims to deliver food and drinks faster. Stores are quickly being remodeled to add comfortable seating.

The goal is to provide customers in the United States — across more than 17,000 stores — with premium-priced, unique beverages in a welcoming, coffeehouse environment, but at a fast-food pace.