Target will now let you add Starbucks to your curbside delivery order, but there's a catch — you have to buy something from Target

Target is rolling out an option that lets customers nationwide order Starbucks food and beverages for curbside delivery.
Unlike a regular drive-thru, Starbucks customers will have to pair their order with a Target product purchase.
The purchase requirement appears to be designed to keep Starbucks order volumes under control and could boost sales.

Target shoppers across the US will be able to get a Starbucks order brought out to their cars in the stores’ Drive Up curbside pickup lanes, just in time for Pumpkin Spice Latte season.

The retailer announced an expansion of the feature on Wednesday following a year of testing it out in select stores.

“We’ve continued listening to our guests, who’ve told us overwhelmingly that Drive Up with Starbucks would bring even more ease and joy to every Target run,” chief stores officer Mark Schindele said in a statement.

Target has approximately 2,000 US stores, of which about 1,700 have Starbucks cafés. Starbucks ordering is currently available at all locations in 14 states and at select locations in 10 more. The remainder are set to come online by October. (See below for the current list of states.)

Drive-up workers have raised concerns about the idea since it was first announced early in 2022, especially regarding the practicality of carrying a tray of hot beverages along with dozens of grocery items, all under a three-minute deadline.

But a worker in Wisconsin told Insider the rollout has gone more smoothly than they initially feared. Last week, their location did an employee-only trial run before the option was opened up broadly on Tuesday, the day before the public announcement.

The worker also said that “double-tappers” — customers who tap “I’m on my way” and “I’m here” on the app in rapid succession — could cause even more chaos and disruption than they already do with the addition of a Starbucks order.

Although Starbucks drive-thru lanes often see lines of cars wrapping around the building or into the street, Target has taken a step that should prevent order volumes from getting too far out of hand: Customers will need to buy something for pick-up from Target’s app or website in order to access the Starbucks menu.

The move could also help boost sales numbers for the retailer, which has been experiencing a slump in recent quarters.

Here’s how it works: the shopper places an order for drive-up, which Target says will be ready in two hours or less. There is no minimum order amount requirement, a Target spokesperson told Insider.

When the order is ready, the shopper indicates in the app that they are on their way. From there, a prompt will ask if the shopper would like to add a food or beverage order for pick-up. A Starbucks barista will then prepare the order, which a drive-up worker will bring out to the shopper’s car with the rest of their purchases.

Insider completed an order on Wednesday according to the instructions, and the iced drinks were brought out in a compact cardboard carrier inside a paper Starbucks bag along with other merchandise purchased through the app.

Target says it has been testing and refining the ordering and fulfillment process throughout the past year and will continue to do so as more stores offer the feature.

The company also said the top-selling Starbucks menu items at drive-up include the iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso, birthday cake pops, and the iced caramel macchiato.