The End Is Near For Unicorns & Mermaids As Starbucks Plans To Trim Special Menu

Starbucks baristas can officially rejoice! No longer will they be subjected to making a colossal amount of zany and whimsical drinks — i.e. Crystal Ball frappuccinos — all year round. Instead the coffee chain intends to cut the number of special drink options by 30%, according to a report from Grub Street.

There was a time when Pumpkin Spice Lattes were the talk of the town, as far as Starbucks drinks were concerned. But in recent years an explosion of trippy limited edition drinks have popped up on the menu to commemorate everything from the beginning of spring (the Cherry Blossom Frappuccino) to holidays ( the Zombie and Christmas Tree Frappuccinos).

Per the report, one of Starbuck’s early ventures into the multi-hued drink realm, the Unicorn Frapp, made a ton of bank, but not too long after that the colorful drinks began to lose their glow, and the chain’s most recent quarterly reports showed a meek 2% raise in sales. So despite the drinks being Instagram-worthy, they clearly weren’t helping Starbucks keep the lights on.

While this news might be devastating for some diehards and Instagram influencers, obviously scattered few and far between given the sale numbers, the rest of us millennials will most definitely be okay with the chain’s decision to cut back. If I’m being completely honest, the majority of the drinks never really tasted that great to begin with, and they often left a terrible taste in your mouth thanks to the weird color combos and sprinkles. Well, except the Cherry Blossom Frap. That drink should be an annual spring staple, much like how fall has the PSL.

But the good news is that slashing the amount of speciality drinks produced will allow Starbucks to focus more on other drinks like cold brews and teas, and to work on bringing their extended food menu to more stores, according to chief operating officer Rosalind Brewer. And given that the extended menu includes tasty gourmet sandwiches, like a honey BBQ Sriracha chicken one, Starbucks-lovers won’t even bat an eyelash at the absence of sparkly fraps every season.

Plus, with the public’s perception of Starbucks currently in the toilet right now, they’re smart to focus less on creating cutesy drinks and more on training their employees in customer service and diversity.