Leadership Experience 2025: Starbucks Rallies 14,000 North America Coffeehouse Leaders to Accelerate its 'Back to Starbucks' Strategy
This week, Starbucks is hosting over 14,000 coffeehouse leaders from across North America at Leadership Experience 2025 (LE25) in Las Vegas—its largest leadership gathering ever and the first under chairman and ceo Brian Niccol and coo Mike Grams.
"Getting ‘Back to Starbucks' means refocusing on what has always set us apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas," said Niccol. "We are bringing together our coffeehouse leaders from across North America to celebrate, empower and equip them to accelerate our transformation. The coffeehouse experience defines the Starbucks brand, and these leaders and their teams bring that experience to life for millions of customers every day."
A New Era of Leadership and Customer Experience
LE25 is an important milestone for Starbucks. Over three days, coffeehouse leaders will engage in immersive workshops, connect over new ways of working, hear directly from company leaders, and experience the first-ever Starbucks Global Barista Championship, celebrating craft, connection, excellence at its best.
The event will accelerate Starbucks turnaround—centered on exceptional service, simplified routines, and deeper customer connections. Leaders will explore new innovations, clearer customer service standards, and a renewed focus on hospitality, including a goal of four-minute wait times – without compromising the warmth and connection that define the Starbucks Experience.
"This isn't just a reset—it's a recommitment to who we are when we are at our best," said Grams. "LE25 is our moment to recommit to a culture of hospitality and excellence. We're making progress, have real momentum with our 'Back to Starbucks' plan and are on the right track to turn the business around."
Since launching its Back to Starbucks strategy nine months ago, customers are already feeling the difference, with welcoming spaces, more confident baristas, faster service, and the return of small but meaningful touches like ceramic mugs, handwritten notes on cups, a more consistent dress code, and a much-loved customer favorite: the condiment bar.
"Our turnaround is rooted in listening—to partners and customers—and taking action on what we hear," added Grams. "We're listening and testing in the coffeehouse, and then applying our learnings to scale quickly and enhance the customer and partner experience."
Leading with Partners, Winning with Customers
Starbucks continues to lead the industry in partner (employee) care, offering industry-leading pay and benefits that average more than $30 per hour for baristas. Benefits for eligible partners include 100% tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor's degree from Arizona State University, up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave, equity in the form of stock, and more. As part of its focus on making Starbucks the best job in retail, the company now also has a goal to hire 90% of retail leaders from within, fostering a culture of growth and opportunity.
Since launching Back to Starbucks, Starbucks has seen strong early results: shift completion rates are at record highs, turnover is at a record low—less than half the industry average—and partner engagement scores continue to rise. In a recent internal survey, 84% of U.S. store partners—over 160,000 baristas and coffeehouse leaders—shared their feedback, marking the highest participation rate to date. The results show a strong upward trend in partner engagement, with strong and growing majorities of both coffeehouse leaders and baristas recommending Starbucks as a great place to work.
"We believe a great partner experience fuels the customer experience," said Grams. "We always have more work to do, but our partners are rallying behind Back to Starbucks and telling us they like what they see. When our partners feel supported, our customers notice the difference too."
Coffee and Craft Take Center Stage
LE25 kicks off today with Starbucks largest-ever coffee tasting, featuring a first taste of the new Starbucks 1971 Roast™, available in the U.S. and Canada this Winter. The company is also celebrating the impact of its investment in the Global Farmer Fund, supporting long-term sustainability across Origin communities.
LE25 will also spotlight the first-ever Starbucks Global Barista Championship— a celebration of Starbucks baristas who embody the company's commitment to community, connection and craft. Over the three-day competition, 12 baristas from around the world will showcase their coffee passion and expertise through a variety of skills and knowledge-based competitions.
"We're returning to what made us iconic: handcrafted coffee, human connection, and a relentless focus on excellence," said Niccol. "We're reigniting the soul of Starbucks, together."
Giving Back in Las Vegas
This week, Starbucks is demonstrating how major events can be designed with sustainability and community in mind. LE25 is powered by 100% renewable electricity sourced within 500 miles of Las Vegas. Starbucks will donate any surplus food to its FoodShare partner Three Square Food Bank, divert food waste and coffee grounds from the event to local farms, and plant 10 trees per attendee to support reforestation efforts in South American coffee-growing communities. The Starbucks Foundation will invite attendees to vote for five local Las Vegas organizations to receive grants, with an estimated $100,000 to be donated to causes like hunger relief, homelessness, youth empowerment and more. The Starbucks Foundation is also donating a $10,000 Neighborhood Grant to each Barista Championship contestant's chosen nonprofit.
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About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 40,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at about.starbucks.com or www.starbucks.com.
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