Page 68 - The Starbucks Experience

Everything Matters

details come together to make an indelible mark on the mil-
lions who enter Starbucks stores every day. These leaders
know that even if they have executed consistently for a sig-
nificant period of time, they will ultimately be judged on their
ability to bring the details together now and in the future.
Small missteps often dramatically tarnish great brands.
While the first principle in the Starbucks Experience looks
at the way partners are encouraged to “be,” the Everything
Matters principle reflects the importance of solid processes and
procedures in daily operations. This operational focus ensures
consistency for customer visits across Starbucks stores.
Creating the ideal environment depends on disciplined
quality control safeguards that give structure to the customer
experience. Barista Meredith Kotas explains how Starbucks
guarantees that customers receive consistent quality from
store to store: “We have a basic line of deployment that we 53
all understand, where person A is on the register, person B
stays on the bar, and person C is floating around making
drinks if there’s a long line. That’s standard at every Star-
bucks store. We also have checklists. They include all the
things that just have to happen, like cleaning the counters,
making sure all the prep is stocked, sanitizing the tongs, and
making sure the pastry plates are always clean. My manager
has instilled the importance of this into us, and we don’t have
to even look at the list. Our brewed coffees, in theory, would
be good for about five hours in the container in which they’re
made. But we brew a new container every hour to ensure that
they’re very fresh, very hot. It’s the freshest coffee you’ll get.”
If you think customers don’t pay attention when a detail
is out of alignment, think again. In support of this point,
Meredith relates a specific customer’s reaction: “One time a
barista wasn’t paying attention to the timer. He had failed to