Fall is officially here and what is better than a nice sweet drink from Starbucks? Pumpkin spice lattes, chocolate cold brew, and vanilla iced coffees always hit the spot—but what if they turned into protein drinks? The new launch of the high protein drink menu at Starbucks has just dropped and students shared their opinions on this new addition.
Senior Julian Jackl has tried these new drinks and feels neutral about this new drop. “I think that Starbucks’s new protein drink is honestly not that bad. The ones with higher grams of protein (I believe it’s around 35 grams) are pretty solid drinks.” While Jackl does like the taste and thinks that there is a fair amount of protein, he also believes that Starbucks could have some ulterior motives with this new drop, “To me this feels like a marketing ploy coinciding with the general push for improving personal fitness.”
While Jackl has mixed emotions about the protein drinks, others have nothing but excitement about this new drop. Senior Kate Griffith said, “I am so happy Starbucks came out with protein drinks because I think it adds more options to the menu because the menu always has the same old drinks.” Griffith believes that this is a good addition to the outdated menu and also shared how this drop might reach more people who need to add protein to their daily meal plan.
“I think it is actually super smart on Starbucks’ end to add these drinks because for people who like going to the gym or just don’t have enough protein in their diet, this could be a nice alternative.” Griffith believes that the new selection of drinks will have a positive impact on people’s lives.
While students have their own opinions on the Starbucks protein drinks, a dad has some notes to share in light of the recent closure of many local Starbucks franchises. Social Studies teacher Ryan Boyd said he thinks that this new menu will not cause any effects on changing each Starbucks location. “I don’t know if it will have an impact on the hundreds of locations that it’s closing, including the one closest to the Walnut Creek Ballet School where my daughter liked to go for a cake pop after every ballet session.”
Boyd also shared his thoughts on what Starbucks’s motives are and stated, “They obviously did a lot of research on it and they’re trying to compete with other brands, maybe non-coffee shops trying to get more people inside.” Like Jackl and Griffith, Boyd believes that this is a strategic plan on Starbucks’s end. Boyd also just shared his overall thoughts on the drinks, “I might drink it, I’m not a coffee person. I usually don’t drink anything at Starbucks, but it sounds interesting.”
The new protein drinks at Starbucks are receiving mixed emotions, but most agree that it is a clever idea considering that it is also something that people who go to the gym can drink for a pre or post-workout. While Starbucks rarely switches up their menu, this change has made Starbucks a place where people can purchase both a nice refreshing drink after a long day and grab a protein coffee at any time.
