What Starbucks just admitted about connection
In 2019, Starbucks launched a bold experiment: mobile-only, pickup-only stores designed for Gen Z. No seats. No community. Just fast.
Fast-forward to 2025? They’re phasing them out.
Why? Because speed without soul doesn’t stick.
These stores were efficient, yes. But they were missing the very thing Starbucks was built on: connection. And now, the company is investing big (over $500 million) to bring back warmth, seating, real service, and human touch. They’re literally redesigning stores to invite people to stay. To connect. To feel something.
Here’s what their CEO said:
“They were overly transactional… what Starbucks really needs is more warmth and connection.”
Read that again.
"Overly transactional."
That right there? That’s the problem with a lot of businesses right now.
We’ve all been pushed to be faster. More automated. Less human.
But people, especially your clients, your customers, your team, are craving something deeper.
They don’t want to be treated like a number.
They don’t want to be funneled through a drip campaign.
They want to feel seen. Known. Valued.
So what does this mean for you and me?
It means the world’s biggest brands are learning the same lesson I’ve been teaching for years:
💡 Relationships are not a nice-to-have. They are the strategy.
If Starbucks, with all their data, research, and marketing power, is returning to real connection, what does that tell you?
That the future belongs to those who lead with authenticity.
To those who build trust, not just transactions.
To those who make people feel something.
So I’ll ask you this:
Are you moving too fast to connect?
Are you optimizing for convenience instead of building real, lasting loyalty?
Because the businesses that will thrive tomorrow are the ones willing to slow down and show up.
Let’s build businesses where people feel like they belong.
Let’s lead with heart, not just hustle.
Let’s stop trying to be efficient machines and start being exceptional humans.
Because connection will always be the most valuable currency we have.
