An article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal looks at Starbucks new experimentation with Lean manufacturing principles.

Under a new initiative being put into practice at its more than 11,000 U.S. stores, there will be no more bending over to scoop coffee from below the counter, no more idle moments waiting for expired coffee to drain and no more dillydallying at the pastry case.

Starbucks says the efforts are already helping its bottom line, as shown by quarterly results last month that beat analysts’ expectations. Still, some baristas fear the drive will turn them into coffee-making automatons and take away some of the things that made the chain different.