Starbucks says afternoon traffic is rising as turnaround gains traction
Starbucks is seeing its strongest visit growth from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., a sign its stores are becoming all-day hangouts, not just morning coffee stops.
Starbucks is getting a clearer read on when customers actually want to be in its stores, and the answer is shifting later. The company said U.S. visits after 2 p.m. are growing fastest from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., based on internal data from February 15 through May 16, a strong sign that the turnaround is moving Starbucks beyond the commute-hour model and into afternoon habit territory.
That change lines up with the drinks doing the heavy lifting. Starbucks said Refreshers is now its second-best-selling beverage category behind espresso, which helps explain why the chain has leaned harder into cold, bright, easy-to-grab drinks that work after lunch as well as before it. The company also said hours after 11 a.m. generated $11 billion in U.S. sales in fiscal 2025, a reminder that the afternoon is not some side channel for the brand. It is a real revenue block.
The traffic gains matter because Starbucks is still trying to prove that its recovery can hold while it tightens the business elsewhere. The company said traffic grew for a second straight quarter, while global comparable store sales rose 1% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. U.S. and North America comparable sales were flat, with a 1% increase in average ticket offsetting a 1% decline in comparable transactions. Starbucks ended the year with 40,990 stores after 107 net store closures in the quarter, including 627 closures under a restructuring plan announced on September 25, 2025, more than 90% of them in North America. The company said it had 16,864 U.S. stores at the end of the fourth quarter, and restructuring costs, inflation and investments tied to Back to Starbucks weighed on operating margin.
That is why the daypart shift is so important. Brian Niccol said in October 2025 that Starbucks was a year into Back to Starbucks and that the turnaround was taking hold, and the company said Green Apron Service had rolled out across all U.S. company-operated coffeehouses. Starbucks also said it invested in staffing and hours, expanded rosters, adjusted operating hours and launched Smart Queue, all aimed at speeding service and making the cafes feel easier to use beyond the morning rush. Erin Silvoy said more customers are stopping in later in the day for a break or a refreshing drink.
For independent cafes, that is the battleground to watch. Starbucks is showing that afternoon demand can be built, not just hoped for, and the winning formula is looking less like a stronger drip pot and more like faster service, better daypart drinks and a store that still feels worth a stop after 2 p.m.
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