Starbucks Reports Weak Earnings as It Tries to Woo Back Customers

Since taking over as chief executive of Starbucks last fall, Brian Niccol has tried to come up with fixes for the many challenges facing the coffee giant.

One of his top goals: Getting coffee to customers in four minutes or less.

Four minutes might not sound so fast when you want a morning caffeine jolt, but even that goal is not as easy as it seems, Mr. Niccol told Wall Street analysts and investors in a call late Tuesday after announcing the company’s earnings results for the most recent quarter.