Starbucks' barista training

Partnering with the coffee giant to make its UK outlets accessible for people who stammer. 

Summary

In an industry-first, Starbucks UK announced the launch of its new training programme for its coffeehouse teams in September 2026.

Designed to help baristas better support customers with speech differences, the initiative has already been completed by more than half of Starbucks UK's 18,000 baristas.

Background

In our 2023 members survey, many of you told us that ordering in restaurants and coffee shops was a real barrier to your everyday lives. Starbucks was cited as a particular cause for concern, with their policy of asking for customer’s names to write on cups.

We contacted Starbucks to highlight the issue and for International Stammering Awareness Day in 2024 we encouraged members to get involved and send our open letter to their local branch.

To their credit, Starbucks responded and agreed to work with us to become more inclusive for customers who stammer.

An industry-first move

Two years later in September 2026, in partnership with STAMMA, Starbucks launched a tailored training programme for its coffeehouse teams. 

Designed to help baristas better support customers with speech differences, the initiative has already been completed by over 10,000 staff, more than half of Starbucks UK's 18,000 baristas.

Practical, Gamified Learning 

Integrated directly into Starbucks UK's gamified training platform, the module offers baristas hands-on, interactive scenarios. Baristas learn essential facts about stammering and the common misconceptions surrounding speech differences. 

They navigate simulated customer scenarios, earning points for supportive responses and receiving constructive feedback to refine their approach. The training builds empathy, active listening, and communication skills that baristas can carry with them far beyond their time at Starbucks.Making Small Changes for Big Impact

Feedback from baristas and customers across the UK has been overwhelmingly positive. Baristas report feeling far more confident recognising speech differences and responding with patience and understanding. For staff on the shop floor, the practical takeaway is simple: sometimes the best support is giving someone space to speak.

The training has been really useful in helping me understand how to better support customers who stammer. Sometimes your instinct is to fill a pause in conversation, but that isn't always helpful. It's taught me to be more aware of how I engage with customers and how small changes can help make sure everyone feels comfortable and welcome in our coffeehouses."

Lamu, a Starbucks UK barista.

Sara Williams, Director of Partner Resources Organisation at Starbucks UK & EMEA, said, "Creating a welcoming environment for every customer starts with listening and learning. We worked with STAMMA to understand the real challenges people who stammer face in everyday interactions. I'm incredibly proud that, together, we've been able to turn that insight into practical training for our baristas across the UK."

Jane Powell, STAMMA CEO, said, "We are so proud of this piece of work. To have an iconic brand like Starbucks proactively providing training around stammering is a world first; until now, stammering simply hasn't been seen as a disability issue to take seriously. We're delighted with the training, which will have a real-world impact on customers who stammer."

Response from our supporters

Here's a selection of comments from our post on Instagram.

"Incredible! Great work @stammauk"

"This is amazing!!!!!"

"Brilliant video. So good that Starbucks have stepped up and taken a lead on this."

"Such an important conversation 🙌"

"Amazing work👏👏👏"

"oh my gosh this is so so powerful THANK YOU🫶🏻"

"So so needed! Thank you!!👏👏"