Starbucks turnaround: Niccol’s "Back to Starbucks" plan ignites Q1 growthPhoto: StarbucksJanuary 29, 2026Summarize with ChatGPT Grok Perplexity ClaudeStarbucks has officially shifted from defense to offense. During Wednesday's Q1 2026 earnings call, the company reported a 5% increase in global revenue to $9.9 billion, signaling that CEO Brian Niccol's "Back to Starbucks" turnaround plan is gaining traction. While the company faced margin pressures due to inflation and strategic investments, the headline was clear: transaction growth is back. The "Green Apron" service modelThe cornerstone of the operational turnaround is the Green Apron service model, which prioritizes throughput and "eyes up" hospitality. "We've got a clear plan in place to basically track down about $2 billion of cost," Niccol said.