Starbucks Is Changing Its Order-Ahead Mobile Process

ABOVE: Customers wait in a pick-up line outside Starbucks.

Starbucks is kicking off summer 2024 with a series of updates–including a major one that will affect customers' experience with mobile ordering.

Those who use the app to purchase their drinks and other menu items ahead of time may have encountered some moments where the estimated pick-up time was actually premature, forcing them to wait in-store or in line outside the drive-thru while the barista puts the finishing touches on their order.

But that's all about to change, and for the better, as the company has invested in some changes to its order-ahead mobile process.

According to an official statement shared with Parade, a rep for Starbucks said it "improved how the estimated order ready time is calculated in the Starbucks app when using the order ahead feature," so now the predictions are "more accurate than ever."

While the company didn't get into details regarding how it improved its online ordering system, other outlets tested out the new system and confirmed the ETA was more accurate than it previously had been.

Along with the improved order-ahead wait time calculator, the nationwide coffee chain added several new menu items, a whole new line of summer-ready cups as well as other pride-filled merch in collaboration with queer artist Sofie Birkin (she/her/they).

Beginning this week, participating Starbucks locations and affiliated retailers will have four colorful new cups in stock.

The Peach Bling Cold Cup features a pastel-colored cup outfitted with glam studs in two sizes, 16-oz ($22.95) and 24-oz ($24.95), it's available almost everywhere you get your Starbies.

Along with that come three more 24-oz cups, one of which can be used for hot and cold drinks: the whimsical Flowers and Forest Cold Cup with Mushroom Straw Topper ($24.95), the Canna Lily Butterfly Cold Cup with a butterfly straw topper ($24.95) and the very versatile Gradient Petal Multipurpose Cup ($19.95) that's designed with summer hues and blooms of abstract petals.

As for Birkin's collection of drinkware, it's inspired by the "genuine and relatable moments" shared by the LGBTQIA+ community and includes a 24-oz stainless steel cold cup and 16-oz stainless steel tumbler outfitted with Pride march symbolism and sentimental still-life. Also featured in the collaboration are a 24-oz rainbow studded plastic cup for cold drinks and a 16-oz plastic tumbler covered in a bright sticker-like pattern.

“I’m a queer artist, and I like to make things that feel very empowering and democratic to a wide breadth of people,” Birkin said in a statement. “I hope people will see it and immediately recognize that this is by us and for us.”

Birkin's limited-edition product lineup is only available at Starbucks storefronts.

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