Food & Beverage
The Starbucks Throughput Problem: From the 2017 Mobile-Order Crisis to the Niccol Reset
The single most consequential operational story in modern Starbucks. The 2017 mobile-order congestion crisis, the COVID drive-thru pivot, the 2023 throughput collapse, and Brian Niccol's 2024-2026 reset of the entire in-store experience.