Starbucks is taking a lesson from the iconic coffee houses of Italy as it tries to return to its roots as the “third place” where people spend time in addition to work and home.
During the company’s Tuesday earnings call, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced that the international coffee chain is exploring plans to launch a new aperitivo menu. He did not specify when any new offerings would be rolled out.
“We’re using learnings from the launch of freshly baked and prepared items in the UK and other international markets to inform our test and scale approach in the US,” Niccol said. “To help reclaim the Third Place and boost the afternoon day part, we’re also exploring an apertivo menu that includes sparkling beverages, sippable coffee drinks, and snackable bites.”
Aperitivo is a beloved cultural ritual practiced in Italy. It involves a drink or light snack enjoyed before dinner to awaken the appetite.
“It’s early days, but we’re moving quickly to improve the appeal of our product pipeline and to support real-time culturally relevant menu innovation,” Niccol said.
When asked by an analyst about whether Starbucks plans to split its menu into daytime and evening offerings, Niccol said the company is focused on honing its strategy to deliver beverages and food “for the occasions that move throughout the day.”
An aperitivo offering, Niccol said, “would be available in the afternoon from like, say, two to five.”
“You know, we definitely want to reinforce the artisanal, the craft aspect that we provide for when people want to have that little snack or that little pick-me-up drink in the afternoon,” Niccol said. “And it gives us some flexibility to do some different things in the afternoon that maybe we wouldn’t be able to do in the morning.”
A spokesperson for Starbucks told Business Insider the company is “still exploring the aperitivo menu” and will share more details as they become available.
Since Niccol stepped into the role of CEO in September, he dubbed his strategy for the massive international chain his “Back to Starbucks” plan.
The brand was facing slumping sales, long wait times, and complaints about its customer experience.
Niccol has tried to reverse those issues and encourage customers to linger in store by bringing back the self-serve condiment bar, comfy chairs, and handwritten notes from baristas on customers’ to-go cups, which he said would improve the café experience.
To reduce wait times to four minutes or less, Niccol also announced plans to eliminate 30% of its menu, including some of its most complicated drinks, and introduced a new mobile ordering system.
While Niccol said ahead of Tuesday’s call that the “Back to Starbucks” plan has garnered “real momentum,” the chain’s second-quarter results came in slightly below expectations.
Starbucks stock was down more than 6% in after-hours trading at the time of publication.
