LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — On March 4, Starbucks locations across the country began shortening their menu by 13 different drinks, most of which were frappuccinos. Countless Starbucks customers were unhappy to hear the news, but many were unsurprised. With the recent menu cutback, Starbucks customers are now wondering if their favorite drinks will go off the menu. 

“I still love Starbucks but, I’m sad they took drinks off the menu,” said Los Alamitos High School freshman Hailey Wilson. 

The CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol, who took the position in Sept. 2024 (almost six months ago), shared his opinion of the Starbucks menu, believing it had too many drinks with a plan to retire unpopular drinks. With Niccol showing interest in shortening the Starbucks menu, there may be possibilities for future drinks to be removed as well.

“I haven’t heard about many of the drinks before they were taken off the menu but, that sucks if you like to order it,” said Riley Mitchell, LAHS sophomore.

The recently retired drinks are made up of menu items that were said to not be ordered as often as other popular drinks, according to USA Today. The drinks taken off the menu are: Iced Matcha Lemonade, Chai Creme Frappuccino, White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino, Caramel Ribbon Crunch Creme Frappuccino, Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino, Java Chip Frappuccino, Espresso Frappuccino, Double Chocolaty Chip Creme Frappuccino, Chocolate Cookie Crumble Creme Frappuccino, White Chocolate Creme Frappuccino, White Hot Chocolate, Honey Almondmilk Flat White and lastly the Royal English Breakfast Latte.

Many of the ingredients used in the removed drinks are still available on the menu. Depending on the drink and ingredients at their local Starbucks, customers still may have the opportunity to have their favorite drink as a customized order. 

Niccol has made it clear in a CNN article that one of his plans in managing Starbucks is making changes such as menu shortening. Although there are no official announcements about another menu cut, many customers are expecting a few more retiring drinks throughout the year. 

“I don’t care about the menu cut, I didn’t know about any of those drinks,” said LAHS sophomore, Andrea Somano.

Many Starbucks customers have mixed opinions on the menu changes currently happening, along with the other possibilities of changes. However, the majority of customers plan to continue buying from Starbucks despite the menu changes. The new Starbucks spring menu has been released recently as well, leaving customers excited for the season’s new drinks despite the menu changes.