The first items to get the axe include the Royal English Breakfast Latte, White Hot Chocolate and several kinds of blended frappuccinos.

But Starbucks said more offerings would be cut, as it aims to shrink its menu by nearly a third over the next year, hoping to reduce wait times and improve quality and consistency.

The company has been wrestling with a sustained fall in sales since last year, which has been particularly pronounced in the US.

Chief executive Brian Niccol, who previously headed the Mexican food chain Chipotle, was brought into Starbucks last year to help turn the business around.

He has said he wants to see the company return to its roots as a coffee house.

The drinks set for the chopping block “weren’t commonly purchased, can be complex to make, or are like other beverages on our menu”, Starbucks said. The changes are due to go into effect on 4 March.

“We’re simplifying our menu to focus on fewer, more popular items, executed with excellence,” the company said on Monday.

“This will make way for innovation, help reduce wait times, improve quality and consistency, and align with our core identity as a coffee company.”

The job cuts announced on Monday are focused on corporate “support partner” roles and will not affect jobs or investments at stores, the company said.

The company said it would inform staff affected by the decisions by mid-day on Tuesday. It is also eliminating “several hundred” open and unfilled positions.

“Our intent is to operate more efficiently, increase accountability, reduce complexity and drive better integration,” Mr Niccol wrote in the announcement.

Starbucks employs more than 360,000 people and operates or licenses more than 40,000 stores around the world.

The US is its biggest and most important market, but its brand there has suffered in recent years as customers complained about long wait times and high prices, and the company wrestled with baristas trying to unionise.

The company was also embroiled in debates over the Israel-Gaza war, facing boycott calls from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine camps, despite the company’s efforts to remain neutral.

The company last month said transactions at US stores open at least a year were down 8% in the most recent quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier.

The drive to simplify the menu marks a shift from previous strategies, which emphasised personalised drinks.

The changes, which are set to come into force from 27 January, are a U-turn from a policy introduced six years ago that allowed people to linger in Starbucks outlets and use their toilets without making a purchase.

The move is part of the “back to Starbucks” strategy – a plan announced by the firm’s new boss as he tries to tackle flagging sales.

Starbucks said there was no change to its policy in the UK, where customers can continue to use the facilities without purchasing anything.

The world’s biggest coffee chain says its new code of conduct – which also addresses harassment and bans smoking and outside alcohol – aims to make its stores more welcoming.

“Implementing a Coffeehouse Code of Conduct… is a practical step that helps us prioritise our paying customers who want to sit and enjoy our cafes,” a Starbucks spokesperson told BBC News.

“These updates are part of a broader set of changes we are making to enhance the cafe experience as we work to get back to Starbucks.”

The company said the new rules would be displayed at every store and staff would be instructed to ask anyone who violates the code of conduct to leave. That includes allowing employees to call the police when necessary.

The change ends a policy Starbucks introduced in 2018 after two black men were arrested at one of the company’s stores in Philadelphia.

The men, one of whom had asked to use the toilet, had said they were waiting for a friend and refused a manager’s request to leave.

The video of the incident went viral, and critics accused the chain of racial profiling and called for a boycott.

Starbucks apologised to the men, agreed a settlement, and to help counter the backlash announced it would welcome people into their cafes, whether or not they were customers.

Starbucks has been trying to boost flagging sales as it grappled with a backlash to price increases and boycotts sparked by the Israel-Gaza war.

Brian Niccol, who previously headed the Mexican food chain Chipotle, was brought into Starbucks last year to help turn the business around.

Mr Niccol has been trying to improve the customer experience at Starbucks’ cafes by revamping its menus and coffee shops.

Other changes set to be introduced later this month include offering one free refill of hot or iced coffee for customers who buy a drink to consume on the premises.

The five-day strike will end later on Tuesday, and has come amid the Christmas holidays, one of the busiest times of the year for Starbucks.

 Starbucks Workers United, representing employees at 525 stores nationwide, said more than 60 US stores across 12 major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Seattle, were shut on Monday.

Talks between Starbucks and the union had hit an impasse with unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules, leading to the strike that began on Friday.

With a union contract, improved benefits, wages, and working conditions could be in writing and cannot be reduced without bargaining, according to the Workers United website.

The Christmas Eve strike on Tuesday was projected to be the largest ever at the coffee chain, the union added. “These strikes are an initial show of strength, and we’re just getting started,” an Oregon barista said in a union statement.

The union claimed that more than 290 stores had been “fully shut down” as a result of the strike.

Starbucks, which operates more than 10,000 company-operated stores across the US, said 98 percent of its stores remained open, and said that only around 170 stores closed on Tuesday.

The company had said on Monday that it expected a “very limited impact” to overall operations.

“We are ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the bargaining table,” the company said.

The Seattle-headquartered firm had previously claimed that the union delegates prematurely ended the bargaining session.

Earlier this month, the workers’ group rejected an offer of no immediate wage raises and a guarantee of a 1.5 percent pay increase in future years.

The union also said that Starbucks has yet to present its workers with “a serious economic proposal”.

The walk outs began on Friday at stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, Starbucks Workers United said. The union added the strike action would spread each day and reach hundreds of stores by Christmas Eve unless a deal is reached.

It follows the union calling for the coffee shop giant to raise wages and staffing, as well as implement better schedules for its workers.

“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in response to the strike announcement.

The strike marks the biggest Workers United action since the organisation started trying to negotiate a contract with the company more than two years ago.

The union has been picking up members since the first store in the US voted to join in 2021. It now represents more than 500 shops across 45 US states.

“It’s a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice,” said Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista from Texas said in a statement sent to the BBC by the union.

Workers United has highlighted what it sees as an unfair pay disparity between its members and senior Starbucks bosses, including chief executive Brian Niccol.

His annual base pay is $1.6m. He could also get a performance-related bonus of as much as $7.2m and up to $23m a year of Starbucks shares.Starbucks has previously defended the plan, saying that Mr Niccol was “one of the most effective leaders in our industry” and that his compensation was “tied directly to the company’s performance and the shared success of all our stakeholders”.

The company, which has more than 16,000 stores in the US, also highlighted that it offers average pay of over $18 (£14.40) an hour, as well as “best-in-class benefits.”

“Taken together they are worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week,” it said.

The strike comes at a tricky moment for the company.

The world’s biggest coffee shop chain has seen flagging sales as it grappled with a backlash to price increases and boycotts sparked by the Israel-Gaza war.It replaced former boss Laxman Narasimhan in August, naming Mr Niccol to lead a turnaround.

Under Mr Narasimham, the company had softened its once combative approach to the union, pledging earlier this year to work toward a deal.

The strike at Starbucks comes as one of the most powerful labour unions in the US is staging a protest against Amazon, aiming to put pressure on the technology giant as it rushes out packages in the final run-up to Christmas.

The Teamsters union said Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the US had walked off the job on Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate with the union about a labour contract.

Workers United says the walkouts will happen in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, with strike action set to spread each day and reach hundreds of stores by Christmas Eve unless a deal is reached with the coffee shop giant.

It follows the union calling for Starbucks to raise wages and staffing, as well as implement better schedules for its workers.

“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in response to the strike announcement.

The company also highlighted that it offers average pay of over $18 (£14.40) an hour, as well as “best-in-class benefits.”

“Taken together they are worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week,” it said.

Workers United says it represents workers at more than 500 stores across 45 US states.

“It’s a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice,” said Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista from Texas said in a statement sent to the BBC by the union.

Workers United has highlighted what it sees as an unfair pay disparity between its members and senior Starbucks bosses, including chief executive Brian Niccol.

His annual base pay is $1.6m. He could also get a performance-related bonus of as much as $7.2m and up to $23m a year of Starbucks shares.

Starbucks has previously defended the plan, saying that Mr Niccol was “one of the most effective leaders in our industry” and that his compensation was “tied directly to the company’s performance and the shared success of all our stakeholders”.

Mr Niccol joined the company in September after his predecessor Laxman Narasimhan stepped down less than two years in the role.The world’s biggest coffee shop chain has seen flagging sales as it grappled with a backlash to price increases and boycotts sparked by the Israel-Gaza war.

The strike at Starbucks comes as one of the most powerful labour unions in the US is staging a protest against Amazon, aiming to put pressure on the technology giant as it rushes out packages in the final run-up to Christmas.

The Teamsters union said Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the US had walked off the job on Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate with the union about a labour contract.