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Do You Drink Decaf Coffee?
With the $2 billion business of decaffeinated coffee at a plateau, coffee companies are focusing their efforts on new "low-caf" blends. While decaf coffee has long been considered less flavorful, these breakthrough blends are genetically manipulated to be naturally lower in caffeine but complex in taste.
As an everyday coffee drinker, I hadn't realized that the decaf business was so lucrative, and was surprised to learn of the staggering numbers.
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Starbucks Renames Several Stores
This year alone, Starbucks has put its name on everything from instant coffee to super-premium ice cream, so it comes as a surprise that the corporate coffee titan is now moving to get rid of its name. The Seattle Times reports that the company is conducting a test to remove its ubiquitous name and mermaid logo from at least three of its Seattle stores and replace it with new names that emphasize the coffeehouses' surrounding neighborhoods. The first test location is slated to reopen next week bearing the new name 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea.
Starbucks Aims to Be Healthier, Greener
America's largest coffee chain has decided to jump-start its own eco-friendly food revolution: Earlier this week, Starbucks announced it would be rolling out a new food menu on June 30 as part of its "Real Food. Simply Delicious" campaign. And yesterday, the chain said it would install new water faucets in its stores as part of an environmental initiative.
Up Next For Wendy's: Boneless Chicken Wings
Hoping to boost this year's sales — and prove that it's still "waaaay better than fast food" — fast food chain Wendy's has announced plans to unveil a new menu item, boneless chicken wings, later this month. The boneless wings — which will compete head to head with KFC's new Kentucky Grilled Chicken — come in three different flavors: Sweet & Spicy Asian, Honey BBQ, and Bold Buffalo. "Our new Boneless Wings are as far as it gets from fast food," Ken Calwell, Wendy's chief marketing officer, said.
Starbucks Hopes to Regain Footing With Adjusted Prices
So far, 2009 hasn't been any better for Starbucks than 2008, and the coffee giant continues to try and regain lost footing, hoping to make up for a 77 percent drop in profits last quarter. To promote value, Starbucks has announced plans to lower prices on basic drinks.
Beginning May 5, items such as the store's grande iced coffee will now retail for less than $2, giving some customers as much as 45 cents in savings.
Next Up at Starbucks: Value Meals
Feeling the sting from other chains such as McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, a desperate Starbucks announced last week that it will soon be introducing value meals of its own. The chain plans to launch value pairings in all its company-owned US stores on March 3. Although regular prices for food and drink items vary by store location, Starbucks claims the pairings will provide customers with an average savings of as much as $1.20.
While Casual Chains Drop Prices, Fast Food Trades Up
Regardless of its location, price point, or popularity, no restaurant has remained untouched by the deteriorating economy. While many high-end restaurants have made adjustments, some of the most drastic changes taking place are happening between fast and casual food chains.
Casual restaurant chains such as Applebee's, Chili's, and TGI Friday's have desperately tried to keep sales steady with bargain deals.
McDonald's Franchisees Confirm Plans For New Burger Rollout
Burger aficionados: If you couldn't exactly get behind the Mac Snap Wrap, then perhaps you'll be interested in the newest patty being developed for the Golden Arches. According to Crain's Chicago Business, the nation's most popular fast food chain is busy planning the creation of its first new burger in eight years, a one-third-pound beef burger.
The McDonald's Angus Burger, as it's called, will be priced at $3.99, will contain a better grade of beef, and will roll out by August, according to franchisees and internal memos.
Starbucks to Introduce Via Instant Coffee
If you thought Starbucks was uncouth to venture into the world of value meals, then wait until you hear its next supposed move. Ad Age is reporting that the struggling java chain is making plans to test soluble coffee in its stores.
Although Starbucks declined to comment on the launch, sources are saying plans to introduce the soluble coffee, to be called Via, will be announced next week.
Next Up: Haggling at Restaurants?
From serving spiced-up burgers to offering cheaper premium steaks, restaurants are trying every trick in the book to bolster sluggish sales. Some, seeing little improvement, have turned to a strategy that was perhaps once unimaginable: haggling.
A reporter from the New York Post, who felt there was nothing to lose and only some to gain through negotiating, decided to put her theory to the test by bargaining at various Manhattan stores.
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