What caused Starbucks' customer traffic to rise?

Customer traffic at Starbucks rose for the first time in two years, driven by menu innovations like protein cold foam and a renewed focus on customer and employee experience.

What is Starbucks' financial outlook for fiscal 2026?

Starbucks projects adjusted earnings per share between $2.15 and $2.40 for fiscal 2026, with global and U.S. same-store sales growth of at least 3%.

What changes has Starbucks made under CEO Brian Niccol?

Under CEO Brian Niccol, Starbucks has focused on getting "back to Starbucks" by bringing back seating, having baristas write messages on cups, trimming its menu, revamping cafes, and staffing more baristas.

Home / Business and Economy / Starbucks Sees First Traffic Gain in Two Years

Starbucks Sees First Traffic Gain in Two Years

29 Jan

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Summary

Customer traffic rose for the first time in two years.
Same-store sales grew by 4% due to menu innovations.
Fiscal 2026 earnings per share projected between $2.15-$2.40.

Starbucks Sees First Traffic Gain in Two Years

For the first time in two years, Starbucks has seen an increase in customer traffic, leading to a 4% growth in same-store sales. CEO Brian Niccol expressed optimism, calling this rise "just the beginning" of the company's turnaround strategy.

Innovations such as protein cold foam have successfully attracted both regular and occasional customers. Further enhancements are planned for the menu, rewards program, and digital customer experience. These initiatives aim to move the company "back to Starbucks" by prioritizing customer and employee experience over purely mobile orders and profits.

While these strategic investments, including restaurant and labor enhancements, have impacted profits in the fiscal first quarter, leading to missed earnings per share estimates, executives expect margins to recover. The company has issued its first annual forecast since Niccol took over, projecting fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings per share between $2.15 and $2.40, with global and U.S. same-store sales growth of at least 3%.