Starbucks CEO orders more training
Starbucks will be closing the doors for a few hours at 7,000 of its stores on Feb. 26. The company will use the time for a major training effort to refocus employees on customer service. Kai Ryssdal talks to Morningstar analyst John Owens.
The Starbucks' coffee logo is displayed outside a Starbucks coffee shop at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
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Kai Ryssdal: When coffee's your business lifeblood, there's nothing worse than a poorly steamed expresso.
That seems to be why Howard Schultz, the once and present CEO of Starbucks, has ordered some extra on the job training.
The company says it's going to close the doors at 7,000 of its stores on February 26 and spend three hours going over the finer points of pouring a cup of coffee.
Shultz says he wants to renew the focus on the customer.
Morningstar analyst John Owens says it's more likely the latest move to turn the company around:
John Owens: They're slowing the pace of their domestic store openings, they're rolling out free wi-fi, they're providing this training to their employees. All of this is geared at bringing back the focus to coffee and bringing back focus on the customer experience.
So mark it on your calendars: February 26 from 5:30 to 8:30 in the evening, forget about that after-dinner latte.
Owens: I'm not surprised that they've chosen that time to do this training, but there is a cost here, but I think the benefits could clearly outweigh the costs.
Owens says it's just a fact that companies have to spend money to make money.
