Skip to main content
Go to About Starbucks homepage
    • Coffee Coffee
    • Coffeehouse Experience Coffeehouse Experience
    • Cups & Merch Cups & Merch
    • Drinks & Food Drinks & Food
    • Annual Impact Report (ESG) Annual Impact Report (ESG)
    • Belonging at Starbucks Belonging at Starbucks
    • Communities Communities
    • Farmers Farmers
    • Partners (Employees) Partners (Employees)
    • The Starbucks Foundation The Starbucks Foundation
    • Sustainability Sustainability
    • Media Library
    • News Blog
    • Press Center
    • Press Releases
  • Stories
News

Partners power Starbucks momentum – and share in its success

Annual company stock grants, the first Best of Starbucks Reward payout and expanded digital tipping give eligible partners more ways to benefit from the value they help create.

By sarah kelly, chief partner officer, and mike grams, chief operating officer

November 12, 2026
  • Share this post on X
  • Share this post on Facebook
  • Share this post on Threads
  • Share this post on LinkedIn

We have strong momentum in our Back to Starbucks plan, and coffeehouse partners are at the heart of that progress. Every day, they bring the Starbucks experience to life through their craft, the connections they create with customers, and the way they support one another. That’s why we’ve created more ways for them to share in our success, while continuing our longstanding investment in partners as owners in Starbucks:

  • Nearly 200,000 full- and part-time global partners received new Bean Stock grants on Nov. 11.
  • More than 80% of eligible hourly partners in North America coffeehouses will receive the first Best of Starbucks Reward* payout on Nov. 13. 
  • Customers contributed more than $22 million in additional tips to eligible partners through expanded tipping channels since July, more than doubling customer tipping activity.

35 years of Bean Stock ownership

For 35 years, Bean Stock has reflected a belief we’ve held since Starbucks had just 100 stores: the people who help build this company should have the opportunity to own a piece of it.

This November, 130,000 partners have grants vesting from prior years. Since 1991, more than 2 million partners have received over $2.75 billion in pre-tax gains through Bean Stock.

Starbucks was the first major retailer to offer stock grants to eligible full- and part-time hourly partners working just 20 hours a week—and remains one of the few to do so today.

It’s why we call each other partners.

Our first Best of Starbucks Reward

We believe partners should be rewarded for the experiences they create and the results they help deliver.

Through the Best of Starbucks Reward, which we announced earlier this spring, we‘re giving eligible baristas and shift supervisors another way to share in our success, with the opportunity to earn up to an additional $300 each quarter when their coffeehouse meets and exceeds certain sales, operational and customer service metrics. On Nov. 13, more than 80% of eligible hourly partners in North America coffeehouses will earn a reward from the program’s first quarterly payout.

Expanded customer tipping options

In July, Starbucks expanded digital tipping to make it easier for customers who want to recognize partners directly, and since then our customers have contributed more than $22 million in additional tips to eligible partners through those channels, more than doubling customer tipping activity.

Creating opportunity for every partner

Our commitment to partners has always been about more than any one program or benefit. For more than 50 years, we’ve invested in the people who wear the green apron, from competitive pay to industry leading benefits for eligible partners like comprehensive health coverage, 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelors degree, up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave and meaningful career pathways to grow with our commitment to fill 90% of retail leadership roles from within. A recent study by Aon found that Starbucks provides more valuable benefits to retail hourly partners than any of the more than 60 U.S. companies included. We also continue to invest in staffing, scheduling and Green Apron Service to strengthen the day-to-day experience for partners and customers in our coffeehouses.

And there are meaningful signs these commitments are making a difference. Hourly partner turnover is nearly half the industry average, nearly 95% of partners receive their preferred schedules and more than 3 million people applied to join Starbucks last year in North America. When partners thrive, Starbucks thrives. Which is why we’ll keep investing in the pay, benefits and opportunities that help partners achieve their goals at Starbucks and beyond.

*This Best of Starbucks Reward, weekly pay and expanded tip options, at the approximately 5% of U.S. locations where partners have a union, are subject to collective bargaining as required by federal law. 

More like this

News

Building the future digital Starbucks experience

4 min read
News

Starbucks Shop opens to all on Nov. 10, with holiday collection and exclusive merchandise online

2 min read
News

5 things to know about the new Starbucks Tersane Istanbul coffeehouse

3 min read
Starbucks Coffee Company
Our Values & Commitments

Stay In Touch

Subscribe to all the latest Starbucks stories and news delivered right to your inbox.

  • Follow Us On Instagram
  • Follow Us On Threads
  • Follow Us On TikTok
  • Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Press Center

All the latest company news and leadership perspectives.

  • Press Releases
  • Company News
  • Starbucks For The Record
  • Leadership
  • Starbucks.com
  • Career Center
  • Reserve
  • At Home
  • Canada
    • English
    • Français
  • USA
    • English
  • EMEA
    • English
  • Latin America
    • English
    • Español
    • Português
  • Asia
    • English
  • Japan
    • 日本語
  • Starbucks.com
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Notice
  • Do Not Share My Personal Information

© 2026 Starbucks Coffee Company

Opens in a new window