Starbucks Unveils New 'Siren Craft System' to Meet Demand

Starbucks has introduced an update to its proprietary 2022 Siren Craft System automation technology to help employees meet growing customer demand with new tools and tricks designed to make their jobs easier and faster. Dubbed the “Siren Craft System,” the employee update includes changes like simplified, updated beverage preparation methods and a new in-store associate role that helps out where and when they’re needed most.

“We launched this project in 2023, testing some of these enhancements and getting feedback from our partners on what would be most impactful for them,” Sara Trilling, executive vice president and president of Starbucks North America, said in a statement. “We then really started thinking about how we can meet this latent demand and be more efficient in our stores. We looked at beverage sequencing, beverage routines and new stations to meet the demand in our stores and meet it more efficiently while partners feel supported.”

The system was unveiled two months after the company’s last quarterly earnings call, during which Starbucks reported a decline in same-store sales for the first time in three years. Some of the decline was attributed to traffic issues related to long wait times and product unavailability. In a video released by Starbucks, the company said the new Siren Craft system is meant to improve the employee and customer experience, reduce order wait times and meet consumer demand, especially during peak hours.

The distribution of the components of the new system is as follows:

New, simplified routines for preparing popular drinks, such as a change in “beverage sequencing,” in which employees save time by preparing espresso before steaming milk when creating a drink, instead of the other way around

Implementation of the Peak Play Caller employee position – a flexible position that acts as a “float” to assist baristas where and when they are needed during peak hours.

Creating a digital production management tool that communicates to employees when demand and traffic increases, so baristas can be better prepared to meet that demand.

The goal of the new Siren Craft system is to increase transparency for customers and improve the accuracy of wait times in the Starbucks app.

“Before the Siren Craft system, we had some of our partners in some stores tell us they felt overloaded during some of our busiest times,” said Kionte’ Sheffield, the district manager who worked on the Siren Craft system when it was in its pilot phase. “They didn’t have a lot of ways to anticipate or respond to that demand. Because the Siren Craft system is a solution built by and for partners, we have a lot of ease of use. We’re more efficient without it feeling difficult.”

The Siren Craft system was deployed to 1,160 stores by the end of May and will be expanded nationwide in the United States and Canada by the end of July.

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