YumSugar

McDonald's Mocha Mondays Mean Free Coffee For Customers

YumSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:30:39 -0700

If you were already contemplating the fast food chain's new Angus Third Pounder, here's another reason for you to drop in to McDonald's. The company wants you to try its new McCafé coffee drinks so badly that it's offering free McCafé Mocha samples in-store every Monday for the next four weeks.

Beginning July 13, the world's largest fast food chain will implement Mocha Mondays: between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., customers can order a seven-ounce iced mocha or an eight-ounce hot mocha for free. The promotion will take place at participating locations every Monday through Aug. 3.

According to corporate executives, this is one of the largest sampling initiatives the company has ever undertaken, and McDonald's anticipates giving away roughly 10 million McCafé Mochas during the promotion. Will you take advantage with a steaming hot mocha - or the cold version?

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New McDonald's Commercials Take a Deeper Jab at Starbucks

YumSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:30:50 -0700

In an effort to further promote its new McCafé coffee bars, fast-food chain McDonald's has released a new set of clips that make fun of the coffeehouse scene popularized by Starbucks, billing it as a stuffy store overrun with brooding intellectuals.

This isn't the first of the campaign against Starbucks: Earlier this year, we took notice of the new McDonald's site Unsnobbycoffee.com, which touts McDonald's coffee as simple, easy, and unpretentious when compared to Starbucks. The new commercials take this concept one step further. "Now we don't have to listen to jazz all day long!" one woman proclaims in the segment below. Check out the commercial for yourself and tell me: Do you find it funny, or is McDonald's, with its new segments that mock Starbucks, taking its ad campaign one step too far?

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Can the McCafe Take On Starbucks?

YumSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:13:31 -0800

This Fall, your local McDonald's is going to experience the biggest change in 30 years: baristas. That's right, according to the Wall Street Journal, McDonald's locations nationwide will install coffee bars that serve up cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, and frappes. They will be located at the front, near the registers, and customers can watch their drinks being made; a big departure from the rest of the food prep. In addition to coffee, there is also talk of smoothies and bottled beverages.

Interestingly enough, the McCafe - as it's being branded - has already taken off worldwide, but I wonder how they'll do here. I'm curious to see what happens. As the article states, there's been a bit of a learning curve; not all McD's patrons know what a latte is. However I'm sure once their customers figure it out, they'll be ordering them in no time. What do you think? Is the McCafe a threat to Starbucks?

To check out a video of the espresso machines at work in the test McDonald's in Kansas, read more.

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McCafes on the Champs Elysees

YumSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 07:59:32 -0700

Does Paris have room for another cafe? I guess that's a pretty silly question - sort of like asking whether or not I have room for another baked good (hint: the answer is always yes). However, does Paris have room for another McCafe? That's right a McCafe, as in McDonald's. Over the next two years, McDonald's is hoping to open 250 McDonald's-branded cafes in France. The move is being considered by McDonald's as a way to be considered more than just an American hamburger joint. The pilot McCafe is open now on the Champs Elysees and does not feature the classic McD's red & yellow colors, it uses a darker, richer color palette instead.

I'm personally not sure how this will do (although Starbucks broke through eventually), so maybe people will be okay with this. What I want to know is, if it does well in Paris, will McD's try to open some McCafes in the US too?

Source: Yummr

Who Needs a Fancy Burger Bar When There's a Whopper Bar?

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:01:19 -0700

Remember when I told you that McDonald's was planning on opening hipper McCafes? Well, not to be left behind, Burger King is doing a similar thing. Instead of fancy coffees, they're planning on selling fancier Whoppers at their new Whopper Bars. The places will be smaller and, if the artist rendering is accurate, fancier. The menus will also be smaller and it would feature as many as 10 types of Whoppers, including the Texas Double Whopper and the spicy onion-topped Angry Whopper. There's also speculation of creating your own Whopper to order, with things like peppers, bacon, and bbq sauce. When asked about it, Burger King president Russ Klein said:

It's our way of stepping into the future. [The Whopper] is arguably a trademark that is bigger than Burger King itself.

The Whopper Bars are expected to pop up in casinos, airports, and other venues with limited amounts of space.

Also noteworthy is the idea that they may make it a real bar by selling beer. At this time, Klein believes that the concept of offering beers isn't "unthinkable." Whoppers and beers? Sign me up!

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:49:45 -0800

From chocolate-infused strawberries to McCafes, we've got your food news covered! We've also got some great recipes for you to try at home. If you've missed anything this week, be sure to check out my favorite posts of the week! Hit the "Start Slideshow" button below!

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