Schultz gradually accepted the fact that he had to adapt the store to the customers’ needs.
He quickly fixed a lot of the mistakes, adding chairs and varying the music. But he was
careful not to make so many compromises that he would sacrifice its style and elegance.
One by one, he transformed the look of the stores from Old World traditional to Italian
elegance. In the process, he also remodeled and remerchandised them so that all were
equipped to sell both whole-bean coffee and espresso drinks. That combination created
a new type of store, more than retail but not restaurant, that has been Starbucks’
signature pattern ever since. It’s a marriage that has lasted up to today.
Schultz became CEO of Starbucks in 1987. He believed that Starbucks had a mission to
educate consumers everywhere about fine coffee. And a vision to create an atmosphere
in the stores that drew people in and gave them a sense of wonder and romance in the
midst of their harried lives.
Starbucks’ success in so many different types of cities in the United States eventually
forced Schultz to ponder. At first, he figured it was simply because of the coffee.
However, people connected with Starbucks because they related to what it stands for.
It’s more than great coffee. It’s the romance of the coffee experience, the feeling of
warmth and community people get in Starbucks stores. Starbucks stroke an emotional
chord with people. Some drove out of their way to get their morning coffee from the
stores. The word “Starbucks” was introduced into the American vocabulary, and brought
about a new social ritual for the 1990s. Starbucks stores had become a Third Place—a
comfortable, sociable gathering spot away from home and work.
At Starbucks, our product is not just great coffee but also what we call the
“Starbucks experience”: an inviting, enriching environment in our stores that
is comfortable and accessible yet also stylish and elegant. At Starbucks stores,
people get a five- or ten-minute break that takes them far from the routine of
their daily lives.