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$25,000 in new equipment and $75,000 in remodeling is all it will take for McDonald's across the country to begin serving specialty coffees. The Oak Brook-based company announced that it plans to roll out specialty coffees, smoothies and frappes at the company's annual analysts meeting yesterday. McDonald's President Don Thompson announced, "We want to move from beverages as an accompaniment to beverages as a destination," which is funny only to the extent that one can imagine hopping on a plane that's heading to "beverage" as a final destination (we bet there are delicious alcoholic drinks served for free on that flight).
Those in the know (analysts) seem to agree that this is a good direction for the hamburger behemoth to head in, as these "snack products" can help "lure in more customers during times of relatively low sales volume." McDonald's is banking on people stopping by to pick up a latte who wouldn't normally be there.
Lest you be concerned that your local Starbucks is going the way of the dodo due to this new development, fear not. It seems the specialty coffee market is growing at such a healthy pace, that there's no reason for concern. Sharon Zackfia, a stock analyst at William Blair & Co told the Trib, "When the pie is growing, there's room for everyone to have a piece of the pie." Also, McDonald's won't let you customize your drink, so if you are the type of person who enjoys ordering a double nonfat caramel macchiatto, better stick with Starbucks. Unless you are a lady; in that case, you might be better off skipping going out for coffee entirely.
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I had an iced coffee drink at one of the test stores over the summer and it tasted like ass. I couldn't even finish half of it, and the awful aftertaste lasted for hours. And I should note that I'm not anywhere close to being a coffee snob.
So while this might get people into coffee drinks that otherwise didn't drink them at all, unless they reformulate if you're used to Starbuck's or Caribou these drinks ain't going to cut it.
Actually McDonalds beat Starbucks in a taste test done by Consumer Reports earlier this year. CR called Starbucks coffee "burnt and bitter". For coffee purists, McDonalds will be fine.
the problem with the coffee is the consistency. not of the coffee, but of preparation. one day it's all hazelnut. one day it's all cream, one day it's all coffee. you're supposed to get the same thing at every mcdonalds all the time everywhere. that's the beauty of mcdonalds. there should be no need for disappointment because you already know what you're gonna get.
ba da ba ba ba, i have a better idea. how about breakfast served all day? who doesn't want that?