The coffee giant pilots new retail formats with Generation Z consumers.
Starbucks is rolling out food trucks at Arizona State University, James Madison University in Virginia, and Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, Businessweek reported.
The trucks will travel around campus, offering up caffeinated beverages on demand.
What’s more, the trucks, operated by foodservice company Aramark (ARMK), will help Starbucks reach the coveted college demographic. In an Aramark survey of its college customers, 47% said they want to purchase a specialty coffee or espresso cafe, and Starbucks was the No. 1 preferred brand for coffee. The pilot is part of Starbucks’ quest to discover new store formats beyond the typical retail outlet “that allow us to reach traffic that we never had access to previously,” according to Chief Financial Officer Scott Maw.
Starbucks has tried trucks before, on a similarly small scale, but for now there are no plans to expand the pilot nationwide.