Starbucks Drive-Thru Ordering Gets Personal Through Barista Video Chat
Starbucks is introducing video ordering at 2,400 cafes in the U.S.
— -- Starbucks customers ordering their java in the fast lane will now get a more personal experience. The company's drive-thru lanes are going high-tech through video communication with baristas, the company said.
The Seattle-based coffee giant is adding video screens at 2,400 cafes with the drive-thru service over the next year, a Starbucks spokesperson told ABC News today. There, customers can see their barista's face when ordering and will be shown their order and price.
"The new screens show our drive-thru customers the barista’s face, along with what they ordered and the cost. It’s another way we are facilitating that barista-customer personal connection," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The company, which has already tested the concept in Seattle, said it wants to improve the drive-thru customer service experience. Starbucks has 22,000 stores globally.
Starbucks is no stranger to introducing technology to its stores. The company began allowing U.S. customers to pre-order their food and beverages through an app this summer.
The company announced on Wednesday delivery service to the 12,000 people who work in the iconic Empire State Building in New York City. The first "Starbucks Green Apron Delivery" service is a pilot project designed for "a dense urban environment," the company said. There are more than 150 tenants who occupy some of the 75 office floors in the Empire State Building, Starbucks noted. There, orders have a 30-minute time frame and baristas bring orders to each company's designated drop-off location, such as a reception area, where the customer meets them.
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