Starbucks Now Accepts Personal Cups for Drive-Thru, Mobile Orders
Starbucks Coffee Co., which licenses cafes inside many U.S. grocery stores, is making a big change as the new year gets underway. Customers resolving to live more sustainably in 2024 can get off to a new start by bringing in their clean personal cup when ordering in-store or on the Starbucks app.
The decision to allow personal cups follows the coffee giant’s efforts to expand availability of reusable cups, glasses and tumblers in their cafes. “At Starbucks, we envision a future where every beverage can be served in a reusable cup,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer. “Offering customers more options to use a personal cup when they visit Starbucks marks tangible progress towards the future. We know our customers are passionate about the planet, and now, they can join us in our efforts to give more than we take, no matter how they order.”
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According to Starbucks, participation by licensed Starbucks stores, including those operated inside supermarkets, may vary. The company advised shoppers to ask Starbucks employees about the option during their next visit.
Shoppers who patronize participating Starbucks cafes inside their grocery store can order their beverages as they usually would, letting the barista know ahead of time that they brought their own clean cup and sharing the desired size. The baristas then create the drink using a new custom beverage machine with built-in lines for various measurements.
When ordering online via the Starbucks app – an option available at many grocery store locations – customers can click on a “customization” button and select “personal cup" on that menu. Once in store, the shopper can talk with a barista area in the pickup area and provide the worker with their clean person cup without the lid. The worker will then hand the drink back to the customer in a contactless “vessel.”
The national rollout of personal cup usage comes after a pilot test at more than 200 Starbucks locations in Colorado in 2023.
