Starbucks introduced a new mango flavor to its Refreshers earlier this month. | Photo courtesy of Starbucks.
Raise your hand if you haven’t introduced a line of beverages called Refreshers over the past two years.
It’d be easier to count than the chains that have. McDonald’s next month will start selling a half-dozen new drinks, three of which are called “Refreshers,” colorful, fruity drinks with boba or dried fruit. At least a half-dozen major restaurant chains have introduced Refresher beverages to their menus just since the start of 2024. And more are adding to their lineups seemingly every day.
None of this, apparently, bugs Starbucks all that much, which is probably what happens when your own Refresher platform is going so well. Refreshers are now a $2 billion business for the company, one that was recently given a big boost with the addition of energy.
On their fiscal second quarter earnings call this week, executives with the coffee shop giant gushed about their own line of Refreshers and their long-term potential for the business. And then they just sort-of shrugged off all this competition.
“It’s almost a compliment that our Refresher business is being imitated in so many places,” CEO Brian Niccol told analysts.
Starbucks first came out with Refresher beverages in 2012, and various chains have followed suit. But they’ve become an almost must-have on beverage menus more recently as the realization dawns on chains that more drink offerings can generate more traffic, which in 2026 is like gold.
Refreshers in particular are alluring because they attract younger consumers and their bright colors work for social media, which is frequently the guiding light behind much of the industry’s menu development right now.
There’s no real definition of what a Refresher is but generally they feature various concoctions of fruit and lemonade over ice, or perhaps coconut milk. They may or may not have dried or fresh fruit or boba and may or may not have energy.
Starbucks has quietly developed its Refresher platform and is now intent on pushing more innovation in the category. The company has a huge range of Refresher drinks, such as Strawberry Acai or Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade or the Dragon Drink that is made with coconut milk and dragon fruit. The company added a new mango flavor in April and this summer Niccol said the chain plans to introduce Tropical Butterfly Refreshers.
The platform has allowed the coffee giant to jump aboard the energy bandwagon, now that customers are able to customize their Refresher drinks with energy.
That played a role in the company’s sales improvement in recent months. U.S. same-store sales rose 7.1% last quarter, as customers came in more often and spent more when they did.
The platform also generates traffic in the crucial afternoon daypart, when many customers replace coffee with more fruity, iced beverages. Cathy Smith, Starbucks CFO, said that the chain is generating incremental sales. And she noted that some customers may have their Refresher with energy in the morning and without energy in the afternoon.
“That just showed us that a platform that was already a great and growing platform when we added customizable energy, it became even bigger,” said Smith, who called Refreshers a personal favorite.
The platform has also won over customers of all incomes, including lower-income consumers that returned to Starbucks shops last quarter. How customers customize their Refresher, apparently, varies by how much money they make.
“We’re seeing this play out in a really effective way with all income cohorts,” Niccol said. “Earlier in the morning you’re seeing more of the low-income consumer really adapt to the idea of a higher caffeine Refresher. And later in the day you’re seeing some of the higher-income people take the caffeine down a little lower.”
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