Be your own barista: Starbucks lets clients pour their own coffee in test

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Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest chain of coffee shops, is testing letting its customer pour their own coffee at some stores as part of an effort to halt two quarters of customer declines.

Customers can pay before or after getting their own drip coffee from a brewer near the condiment bar, the company said on its new customer-feedback Web site.

Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz, who returned to run the chain in January, is testing several new ideas. Last month, the company announced a new loyalty card and a machine called the Clover that makes premium drip coffee. It also plans to grind beans in its stores.

“We are constantly looking for new ways to connect with the customer and provide the best Starbucks experience,” the company said in an e-mail to Bloomberg yesterday. “We do not comment on any specifics until a final decision is made.”

After taking over as CEO for the second time on Jan. 7, Schultz, 54, said Starbucks’ problems were “self-induced” and vowed to introduce new products and clean up aging stores.

Starbucks this month will also introduce a new coffee blend called Pike Place Roast. Most locations will start using an automated espresso machine, which uses freshly ground beans and is low enough that customers can watch their drinks being made.

The coffee-shop chain will also introduce a rewards program this month. Customers will be able to get free syrup or milk alternatives for their drinks, or free refills on brewed coffee, if they use their Starbucks card.

Starbucks tested an 8-ounce, $1 cup of regular coffee with free refills in Seattle earlier this year. The chain decided not to introduce the product, it said at its annual meeting in March.

Starbucks rose 16 cents to $18.50 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. The stock is trading near its lowest level in more than four years and is worth half what it was at the beginning of 2007.