Starbucks sees afternoon traffic improve as turnaround gains traction

Starbucks is getting more customers back after 2 p.m., and the biggest pickup is coming between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., a shift that matters far beyond the sales chart. For baristas and shift supervisors, stronger afternoon traffic can change whether a store feels overstaffed and slow or steady enough to justify fuller coverage, cleaner handoffs, and less scrambling later in the day.

The company said the pattern is showing up in internal U.S. data from Feb. 15 to May 16, with visits after 2 p.m. rising broadly. Starbucks also said hours after 11 a.m. generated $11 billion in U.S. sales in fiscal 2025, underscoring how much of the chain’s business depends on dayparts that are not tied to the morning commuter rush. If that trend holds, the question for store teams is not just whether traffic improves, but whether that traffic translates into better staffing plans and more stable shifts.

Starbucks has been leaning hard into the afternoon opportunity. The company said Refreshers have become its second-best-selling beverage platform behind espresso, helped by drinks such as the Tropical Butterfly Refresher and Energy Refreshers designed to pull customers in later in the day. Chief executive Brian Niccol said in January that building out an afternoon daypart has “tremendous upside,” a signal that leadership sees the same thing operators do on the floor: the later dayparts can either smooth out labor or create a new wave of pressure if sales rise without enough people on the clock.

The latest quarter gave Starbucks more evidence that the turnaround is taking hold. In fiscal Q2 2026, North America comparable sales rose 7.1% year over year, driven by a 4.3% traffic increase and a 2.7% increase in average ticket. Niccol called it the “turn in our turnaround,” and Starbucks said U.S. company-operated stores grew transactions across all dayparts, with mornings roughly back to fiscal 2022 levels. Positive comparable-sales trends continued through April.

For workers, the key issue is what comes next on the schedule sheet. Starbucks says the gains are being supported by Green Apron Service standards, plus investments in staffing, scheduling, technology, and leadership. If afternoon traffic keeps climbing, that could mean more consistent hours and less dead time between the lunch and evening rush. It could also mean management uses the same labor budget to push stores harder. The turnaround is starting to show up in sales; the next test is whether it changes the pace and pressure of the shift floor.