Starbucks Has Implemented a Dress Code That Will Limit the Colors Baristas Wear

The Starbucks barista has been a parodied character for decades, and although they work for a chain, Starbucks baristas have not been required to wear anything all that uniform when they show up to work. Thanks to a new dress code that the company is implementing for 2025, though, baristas will have a much narrower range of options when it comes to their dress code.

Following the news that the company would be updating their dress code, many wanted to know more about the specific ways the dress code was changing. Here's what we know.

Starting on May 12, per USA Today, Starbucks will require all of its employees to wear a solid black top, whether it's a crewneck, collared, or a button-up shirt. The chain will also be requiring baristas to wear a shade of black, khaki, or denim as their bottoms.

The chain also said that it will be supplying all of its employees with two plain black tops as it launches the new initiative.

"We’re evolving our dress code in all stores to focus on simplified color options that allow our iconic green apron to shine and create a sense of familiarity for our customers, no matter which store they visit across North America," the company explained in a news release. The company added that the changes were designed to reinforce the apron as one of the core symbols of the chain, which first launched back in 1987.

Although it's not at all unusual for employers to ask employees to dress a certain way, a 2016 revision to Starbucks's dress code gave employees much more free rein to express themselves creatively through their dress. At the time, the expanded dress code allowed for color patterns like charcoal, gray, navy, and brown. In the years since, Starbucks has become more restrictive again, and this latest change seems designed to ensure a much more uniform look.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said that this change was part of broader efforts to ensure that Starbucks locations get back to the core values behind the brand.

"We’re working hard to ensure our coffeehouses have the right vibe," Niccol said at the 2025 shareholder meeting, per the transcript. "We want to invite customers in, showcase our great coffee, provide a comfortable place to stay, and make them feel like their visit was time well spent."

This includes redesigning several locations across the U.S., which seems to be an experimental step that it has yet to take nationwide. The news that the company was changing its dress code led to backlash from the Starbucks Workers United, who wrote that it was planning to expand the dress code.

"Starbucks just announced a significantly more conservative dress code, instead of finalizing fair contracts and addressing actual issues like understaffing and lack of guaranteed hours," the union wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Our union has been fighting for a contract that expands the dress code."