Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has identified afternoon food as the chain's biggest unfinished job, telling ADWEEK on Sept. 17 that the coffee giant must become "much better in the afternoon" if it wants a food program he calls "category-defining."

"We're pretty darn good in the morning, but we have to be much better in the afternoon," Niccol said in the interview, conducted for ADWEEK's October cover story.

His comments landed weeks before reports surfaced that Starbucks had explored a takeover of Chipotle. Niccol did not discuss Chipotle or any potential acquisitions during the interview.

Why does the afternoon matter to Starbucks?

The chain's business skews heavily toward morning hours. Niccol's stated goal is to build a second sales peak after 2 p.m., and food is the lever he intends to pull to get there.

The math is straightforward for a chain of Starbucks' scale: extending strong traffic beyond the morning coffee run would open a daypart where the company currently underperforms its own morning benchmark. Food, more than beverages, is the purchase occasion that can anchor an afternoon visit.

What does 'category-defining' food mean in practice?

Niccol framed the ambition in explicit terms. Starbucks is "working on making its food program 'category-defining,'" he told ADWEEK — a phrase that positions food not as a companion purchase to coffee but as a destination category in its own right.

The gap he acknowledged is candid by CEO standards. Admitting the chain is only "pretty darn good" in the morning — its strongest daypart — signals that the afternoon push is a priority rather than a talking point.

How does this fit the takeover speculation?

The timing gives the interview added weight. Reports about a possible Chipotle acquisition began to surface only after Niccol made these remarks, and he did not address Chipotle or acquisitions at all in the Sept. 17 conversation.

Read together, the two storylines point to the same strategic pressure: Starbucks is looking for growth beyond its morning coffee core, whether through an improved food program or, reportedly, through deals.

What comes next?

The October cover story promises fuller detail on Niccol's food ambitions. For marketers and rivals in the QSR afternoon daypart, the signal is clear: Starbucks intends to compete for post-2 p.m. occasions it has largely ceded until now.