Introduction:Luckin Coffee recently launched the "Buttery Crispy Apple Latte," adorned with a cheese foam topping, apple chips, croissant crumbs, and caramel sauce. Though eye-catching in appearance, its taste has been divisive. While it has gained favor among those who enjoy taking photos, the elaborate decorations have put significant pressure on staff during peak hours, making the two-minute service requirement feel akin to preparing Michelin-level cuisine.
Luckin has introduced a new flavor, the "Buttery Crispy Apple Latte," as part of its Butter Series, quickly becoming a hot topic on social media. This specialty drink is based on a classic latte, enhanced with a variety of decorative elements: a thick layer of cheese foam on top, sprinkled with apple chips and croissant crumbs, and drizzled with delicate caramel sauce, creating a visually layered effect that attracts many customers at first glance.
However, the taste of this new product has sparked mixed reviews. Some customers praise the unique pairing of butter and apple, describing it as a heartwarming choice limited to the winter season; others find it overly sweet or heavy on the butter flavor, which affects the overall balance. Regardless of preference, its design has indeed received positive feedback from those keen on taking photos, being regarded as an aesthetically pleasing drink perfect for sharing.
Visually, when not affected by takeout, the latte features precisely arranged apple chips and crispy croissant crumbs on the cheese foam, with the caramel sauce forming even patterns, reminiscent of popular items at tea beverage shops. While this design successfully appeals to younger consumers, it also presents operational challenges for stores.
Internally, Luckin has strict requirements for service efficiency, typically aiming to deliver orders within two minutes from the time of ordering. However, the "Buttery Crispy Apple Latte" involves multiple preparation steps, including pouring the latte base, manually adding the cheese foam, evenly sprinkling the apple chips and croissant crumbs, and finally drizzling the caramel sauce—making the overall process considerably more complex than that of a regular coffee.
During peak hours, a single staff member often has to handle multiple orders simultaneously, and the inclusion of this new drink can easily disrupt the overall rhythm. Especially in stores with limited staffing, just one order containing this beverage can affect the timely preparation of subsequent drinks, thereby dragging down overall KPI performance.
Many frontline employees have privately expressed that some of the specialty drinks currently launched by Luckin differ significantly in preparation from traditional coffee, resembling the more complex operational style of tea beverage shops. However, the efficiency demands of coffee shops are far higher than those of typical tea shops, and under the pressure of speed, these elaborate steps have become one of the main sources of staff stress.
Industry observers note that when brands launch high-aesthetic-value specialty drinks, in addition to considering market appeal, they should also incorporate assessments of practical operational feasibility. Achieving a balance between decorative design and service efficiency—or providing more flexible production standards—could help improve store operations and allow staff to serve customers with greater ease.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
