Why does it take so long to get your mobile order at Starbucks?

After speaking with 10+ Starbucks GMs, I think I’ve found the core issue. Here it is.

There’s been a lot of talk about Starbucks’ customer experience, and recent Business Insider headlines highlight that something’s still off.

Starbucks, witt Brian Niccol at the helm, has started addressing the issue with many great decisions already in motion.

However, after speaking with many Starbucks GMs and learning about their processes, I believe I have one more perspective on the root cause of the problem — and perhaps an additional idea on how it could be fixed.

Here’s the standard Starbucks order workflow for a prepared order:

1. Find the order on the tablet

2. Double-check for accuracy

3. Change the status to "Ready"

4. Place the order on the counter

5. Help the customer find their order

6. Go back to the tablet, locate the order again

7. Change the status to "Completed"

In busy stores this process happens hundreds of times daily, often handled by the GM or supervisor. And here’s the problem:

Steps 1-5 often lag, as staff juggle multiple tasks. This creates a delay between when an order is ready and when it’s marked as "Ready". These manual tasks can take 3-5 hours daily.

Steps 6-7 (locating the order again and marking it as completed) are often skipped entirely because no one has time for it. Orders are typically auto-closed by the system after about an hour, leaving no accurate data on when customers actually pick up their orders.

As a result, without accurate data on when a customer picks up their order, there’s no reliable way to track actual waiting time.

You can’t improve what you can’t measure.

That’s why, from my perspective, the waiting time issue is fundamentally a data problem!

Now imagine a magic system that:

• Saves GMs 3–5 hours daily by automating repetitive tasks

• Double-checks order accuracy

• Updates statuses in real-time

• Tracks key data points like “order ready” and “order picked up”

• Highlights customer names

Allowing GMs to focus on what truly matters — personal connections and exceptional hospitality.

And this magic system exists! It’s called Pickpad.

We’re open to free pilots to prove how Pickpad can boost efficiency behind the counter and take the customer experience and retention to the next level.