Starbucks Punts Chantico Chocolate Drink

Starbucks has decided to discontinue its rich, hot chocolate product entitled Chantico. The reason for the flop, according to the coffee chain, is lack of options to customize the drink.

“It was something that customers did like, but they wanted to be able to do something else with it,” [company spokesperson Alan] Hilowitz said. “We wanted to go back and give customers what they are looking for.”

The article continues, stating that Starbucks is investigating other chocolate beverage offerings. I have to wonder, though: if the reason for discontinuing is the lack of customization, wouldn't it be cheaper to investigate ways of adding those options to the drink, versus scrapping the whole thing? Or is this just an attempt to save face when deciding to stop producing a poor-selling product?

I'm not a Starbucks fan, and I like Chantico. Yes, it's rich and perhaps too sweet, and no, it's not like the hot chocolate you can get in Mexico, but it was a fairly acceptable way to get a chocolate kick in drink form.