Starbucks made a lot of changes in 2025. Some were great — but one was terrible.

A fancy Starbucks coffee drink with whipped cream

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• Under new CEO Brian Niccol, Starbucks had a sometimes rocky 2025.
• I thought slimming down the menu length and adding afternoon snacks made a lot of sense.
• But forcing baristas to write on the cups? Leave that in 2025.

It's been the first full year of Starbucks' CEO Brian Niccol's "Back to Starbucks" mission. So, how did it go?

Well, let's not beat around the bush: From a shareholder's perspective, pretty meh.