Starbucks Is Cracking Down on Its Dress Code amid Recent Changes to Enhance 'Coffeehouse Experience'

• Starbucks is updating its dress code in North American locations
• The new dress code will be enforced starting May 12
• The initiative is one of many changes Starbucks has made to improve the customer experience over the last year

Starbucks is changing up its look. 

The coffee chain announced on Monday, April 14, that it will be updating its dress code in North American locations to "deliver a more consistent coffeehouse experience."

But the change in dress code does not mean that Starbucks will be saying goodbye to its iconic green apron -- In fact, the changes are meant to allow the trademark uniform piece to shine. 

According to Starbucks, the new dress code will be enforced starting May 12. Baristas will be required to wear a solid black shirt with jeans, khaki pants or black pants. The coffee chain will also be rolling out a new line of branded shirts.

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The dress code will allow the store locations to "deliver a more consistent coffeehouse experience." The coffee chain also claims the simplified dress code will give baristas the opportunity to "focus on what matters most, crafting great beverages and fostering connections with customers."

Starbucks previously expanded their dress code in 2016 to allow unnatural hair colors and additional colors, per USA Today. At the time, baristas were required to adhere to wearing black or white tops with khaki pants, along with the green apron while on the clock. When the dress code was updated, the chain added the colors charcoal, gray, navy and brown to the uniform palette, as well as leather, denim and wool materials.

The latest initiative is one of many changes Starbucks has made to improve the customer experience over the last year. 

The chain announced a slew of updates in November 2024, including bringing back the practice of handwriting customers' names on drink orders. The coffeehouse-inspired touch is meant to add the personable and “human touch.” 

The coffee chain also brought self-serve sugar and milk stations, which left stores during the pandemic in 2020, with Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol saying, "Our customers are asking for it, and our baristas are saying it would help them."

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In January, Starbucks announced on an earnings call that it will be cutting nearly a third of its menu.

"We have to clear the noise out both in food and beverage menus," Niccol said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. "That opens the door for better innovation that will hopefully resonate even more so for our customers."

The CEO explained that the move was to "better align with our identity as a coffee company" in a Q1 FY2025 earnings video.

Several drinks were removed from the Starbucks menu in March, including the Iced Matcha Lemonade, Espresso Frappuccino, Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino, Java Chip Frappuccino, White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino, Frappuccino Crème Blended Beverages, White Hot Chocolate, Royal English Breakfast Latte and Honey Almondmilk Flat White.