Starbucks tightens barista dress code to revamp the look and feel of North American stores

Baristas will wear solid black tops, a change from prior practice allowing any color. They can also wear any shade of khaki, black or blue denim bottoms.

Starbucks Corp. is updating its dress code for baristas to make it more consistent across North American stores, part of a broader plan to revive sales by revamping the look and feel of cafes.

A costumer exits a Starbucks store in California on Jan 16, 2025. (AP)

Starting May 12, baristas will wear solid black tops, a change from prior practice allowing any color. Baristas can wear their own attire, and Starbucks will provide two shirts from a new company-branded line at no cost.

In addition, baristas can wear any shade of khaki, black or blue denim bottoms. The prior dress code also allowed gray and brown.

The new rules are part of Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol’s efforts to revitalize the coffee giant. The company is betting that the changes will create a more consistent look across stores as the chain brings back comfortable coffee shops that encourage people to linger — and spend more.

The streamlined dress code will “allow our iconic green apron to shine and create a sense of familiarity for our customers, no matter which store they visit across North America,” Starbucks said in a statement Monday.

A representative for Starbucks Workers United, the union that has organized more than 500 of the company’s roughly 10,000 corporate-run US cafes, criticized the move and called on Starbucks to focus on reaching a collective-bargaining agreement.

“Starbucks is prioritizing a limiting dress code that won’t improve the company’s operations,” Jasmine Leli, a barista and union bargaining delegate, said in a statement.

Niccol should “get involved in the bargaining process and hear from us directly on what Starbucks partners actually need to succeed,” she added.

Starbucks’ green apron has been around since 1987, and it’s become such a staple of the brand that baristas are often referred to as “green-apron partners.”