Cuz there ain't enuf places to get coffee
 

Just as I was starting to get worried that there were too few places that I could get a latte, McDonalds has come to the rescue:

McDonald’s coffee bars to take on Starbucks
Fast-food giant plans to serve up lattes at all U.S. outlets, newspaper says

Read the rest of this life-saving story here. I can sleep easier now.

Thus comes Armageddon.....

The McDonalds near my office has had this on the menu for a couple of years - it must have been a test store. I've never had any though. I just drink black coffee - none of the fancy schmancy stuff anyway.

A case study I was working on about a year and a half ago discussed McD's plans to branch into this area, to compete with Starbucks. It's been tit-for-tat for both parties, with Starbucks' breakfast sandwiches and McD's big play on how their coffee wins out taste tests against Starbucks. McD's regular stores have slowly been undergoing remodels, to reflect this change as well: muted colors, more chrome, better lighting, seating not meant to make people grab their food and go.

McD's numbers (though large) have been in a slump, if I remember correctly, and they're hoping to capture the gourmet coffee-shop trend. This will probably be more successful in other areas of the country, I surmise, since the trend has been played for about two decades in more metropolitan areas, such as southern and northern California, etc, etc, etc. It could, I suppose, play better for tourists, looking for the familiar arches.

It's still a significant change, but I always like to point out that the "slump" consists a drop in profits, not an actual net loss. In today's stock-price-driven economy, it's huge news for a company that had been steadily growing for as long as McDonald's had been, but it still bugs me when I see it reported as "McDonald's loses money!"

It sounds like they are going to have automatic espresso machines. Push the button and you get a fancy drink. I almost hope they do - can you imagine McDonald's workers making a double shot soy mocha?

I can't see myself becoming a McDonald's coffee devotee.

I pay $4 for my coffee, and $3.50 for my Big Mac.... I expect damn good coffee, if you KWIM. If they try to serve me a Big Mac latte, they'd better have a price point under $2.

Just so long as the place doesn't end up smelling as vile as Starbucks/Peets/etc.

I actually love the McCafés in New Zealand. The one I go to near my sister's place has a separate counter and a little Starbucks-like seating area. They also have more interesting food choices than the usual McDs offerings. I like the chicken satay wrap.

Actually, McD's HAD been in a slump, but they have been very successful in turning their business around in the last couple of years.

A quick review of their annual income statement shows a steady increase over the last three years.

• FYE 31-Mar-07: $1,846,073
• FYE 31-Mar-06: $1,312,485
• FYE 31-Mar-05: $543,873