Coffee is serious business in Seattle.
Whether or not you drink it, where you buy it, how you take it, what your vessel of choice is — all of that can say a lot about you and whether you’ve fully acclimated to local norms and customs.
We gave the new CEO of Starbucks a day on the job before we attempted to analyze his coffee habits based mostly off a new photo provided by the Seattle-based coffee giant.
Brian Niccol went from posing with burritos as the top guy at Chipotle to offering up a grande smile while holding a venti Starbucks cup in the corporate snapshot. Twenty ounces is a lot of coffee, but Niccol has a lot to get done as he aims to jolt the slumping brand.
There doesn’t appear to be any foam or latte foam art in the coffee that’s visible at the top of Niccol’s cup. We can see it because he also hasn’t taken a lid on his order, or a cup sleeve to protect his hands. It doesn’t look like there’s any steam coming from the cup either, but despite being from California, that’s no iced beverage. Points for that in the PNW, Brian.
Update: Starbucks PR reached out to throw cold water on our photo assessment: They said Niccol is holding a 16-ounce ceramic mug.
In fact, his Starbucks go-to order is a hot Americano at the start of each day, according to the company. For what it’s worth, as CEO at Chipotle he said he loved a chicken bowl with white rice, fajita veggies, pico de gallo and a little cheese. (Fun fact: It’s about three miles from Starbucks HQ in SoDo to the closest downtown Seattle Chipotle.)
Starbucks — and any barista that gets to serve the boss — must love that Niccol has such an easy order, especially considering the fact that the company’s complicated menu has drawn criticism of late, and even a mention in Niccol’s open letter on Tuesday.
In an opinion piece last month, The New York Times noted: “Starbucks says there are more than 170,000 possible drink combinations available, but outside estimates have put the number at more than 300 billion. And the person in front of you always seems to be ordering 100 million of them.”
Simply saying “Americano,” even if he does get it in a venti cup, would certainly set Niccol apart from the last guy to lead Starbucks.
We’re not saying Laxman Narasimhan lost the job because of his go-to order, but ordering a doppio espresso macchiato with extra milk and two Splendas might have been holding up the line.
