Starbucks Discontinues Controversial Menu Item

Last year, Starbucks debuted its line of Oleato olive oil-infused drinks in Italy and brought it stateside in January of this year. Many customers balked at the strange coffee flavoring, but they needn't worry much longer as the Oleato drinks are coming off the menu. 

According to The Associated Press, Starbucks announced today that it's discontinuing the Oleato products at most locations beginning in early November. The move is part of Starbucks' wider efforts to boost revenue after it reported a three-percent fall in from July through September. The move, new CEO Brian Niccol explained after preliminary fiscal Q4 earnings were released last week, is part of a broader push to simplify the chain's "overly complex menu" and lighten the stress and workload for baristas, per CNBC. The decision to do away with Oleato drinks, however, was made before Niccol took over in September. 

The Oleato offerings were the idea of former Starbucks head Howard Schultz after he took a trip to an olive oil producer in Sicily. The drinks were created by putting Partanna olive oil in Starbucks Caffe Latte, Iced Shaken Espresso, and cold foam. For the latte, baristas steamed the olive oil with oat milk, while they shook it in the iced espressos. To top cold brew coffees, they infused the olive oil into vanilla sweet cream foam. 

Starbucks customers in Italy, Japan, and China are in luck, however, as Oleato will still be available at some locations in those countries.