Starbucks Corp. says it has become a victim of the success of its mobile order app.
The coffee chain created the app to reduce long lines at the cash register, but Starbucks Operating Chief Kevin Johnson said Thursday the lines have just shifted to the pickup counter.
“The success of mobile order-and-pay has created a new challenge,” Mr. Johnson said in an interview.
Mr. Johnson, who will become chief executive in April when Howard Schultz steps down to focus on building high-end Starbucks stores, said long waits have driven away some potential customers. The number of transactions in the company’s fiscal first quarter were down as a result.