Starbucks Phased Out Its Smoothies, And Basically Nobody Noticed
Starbucks' menu doesn't have many healthy drinks to choose from. Their blended frappuccinos have been referred to as adult morning milkshakes, as they're basically a mixture of coffee, sugar, and ice.
While most of the coffee chain's drinks contain some amount of added sugar, their smoothies were a beacon of health in its menu's sweetened abyss. Of course, homemade smoothies are generally better than premade, but sometimes grabbing one on the go is your only option. Plus, despite not having complete control over the ingredients, a mixture of fruits — and sometimes even veggies — is often better than most fast food alternatives.
For those unfamiliar with Starbucks' menu, there was a time when it offered four different smoothie flavors: strawberry banana, chocolate banana, orange mango, and a pineapple coconut green smoothie, which was made with green cabbage and spinach. Starbucks began testing out smoothies in select stores in 2014, and after a successful launch, it came to believe consumers wanted more fresh, clean ingredients without sacrificing flavor. Unfortunately for the company, this wasn't true for many customers.
Not every item is going to be a fan-favorite
If these smoothie flavors aren't ringing a bell, it's likely because most people didn't even know Starbucks offered smoothies, and pretty much nobody noticed when the smoothies left their menu back in June 2018. According to one Reddit user, these drinks were ultimately done away with because of how laborious they were to make and how infrequently customers ordered them. What started as an exciting marketing idea revolving around health and natural ingredients clearly wasn't profitable enough for the chain to continue.
Of course, if you were one of the few customers who truly enjoyed Starbucks' unique smoothie flavors, seeing them vanish off the menu may be disappointing. However, the fact that most people didn't know these items disappeared (and didn't miss them once they were gone) definitely speaks to how small the market was to begin with.
At the end of the day, the truth is that Starbucks has centered its brand around coffee and tries to embody a cozy café vibe by inviting people in for indulgent treats. While the company has been open to customer feedback in the past, it may not want to bring back an item that seamlessly disappeared years ago.