(UPDATED COVERAGE, JUNE 3, 5:53 P.M.) By the end of June, coffee giant Starbucks Corp. plans to add to its food lineup with new salads and a new tagline.
 |
Courtesy Starbucks Corp.
Starbucks' new Classic Salad is set to hit stores June 30. |
According to a Starbucks spokesperson, three new salads will be available in all company-operated stores nationwide (more than 7,000 stores), beginning June 30.
Two lettuce salads — a Farmer’s Market Salad and Classic Salad — as well as a fresh fruit cup are in the works.
The Farmer’s Market Salad includes almonds, fresh apples and romaine lettuce, as well as blue cheese and dried cranberries.
The Classic Salad is what Starbucks describes as a traditional chef salad, and is set to have grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, carrots and romaine, with hard-boiled eggs and Monterey Jack cheese.
The fruit cup will have seasonal selections, according to the spokesperson, and should include strawberries, kiwifruit, blueberries, grapes and mangoes.
The fruit cup contains only 100 calories, and the salads no more than 300 calories per serving.
Starbucks boasts 11,000 locations in the U.S., more than 4,000 of which are company-licensed instead of company-operated. Those stores are not required to provide the same food options, and may not carry the salads, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson could not comment on sourcing for the new salads, but said that they would be made fresh daily and delivered to the stores.
The new salads will be accompanied by reformulated food items, including baked goods and breakfast sandwiches.
In an effort to appeal to more health conscious consumers, as well as consumers on tighter budgets, the Seattle-based company plans to promote the items with the tagline “Real Food, Simply Delicious.”
“Across the board, everyone’s looking for new, fertile ground,” said Kevin Moll, chief executive officer of Denver-based National Restaurant Consultants Inc. “You’ve got McDonald’s with coffee and Starbucks with value meals.”
The company is also making ingredient changes by removing high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and preservatives from its baked goods.
These aren’t the first salads to adorn the coffee chain’s menu. The company released two salads in 2007 — a tomato mozzarella salad with tomatoes, arugula and basil, and a fiesta salad with corn, black beans, salsa, cilantro, avocado and a lime wedge. The salads were discontinued due to lack of sales, the spokesperson said.
A chef salad and a petit salad, or side salad, also adorn the company’s online menu, but will be phased-out with the introduction of the new salads.