Starbucks has many more top executives than rival restaurants

[CHICAGO] News that Starbucks Corp is planning an executive shake-up and corporate layoffs may not have come as a surprise to anyone who's seen its top-heavy org chart, comprising 53 names and headshots.

Bloomberg reported this week that the coffee giant is planning structural changes starting at the top levels in order to help it make decisions faster. The chain has dozens more executive-level managers listed than any of its 10 largest competitors, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from corporate websites and filings.

Starbucks hasn't said yet how it will amend its structure, though it said the changes are starting this week. A spokeswoman said Monday they will entail an undetermined number of layoffs and include some employee shifts between company departments. Starbucks declined to comment further on Thursday.

The list of executives on Starbucks' website includes C-Suite executives, presidents, executive vice presidents, senior vice presidents and a vice president of investor relations. The list is almost three times longer than the next restaurant operator by management-team size, Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants Inc, which names 19.

BLOOMBERG