So it seems, slowly but surely, the market for real coffee is expanding to the point where others want some of the action. Our continent has evolved from the uneducated ramblings of “you pay $4 for coffee?” to, yes, McDonald’s getting into the specialty coffee business.
So let’s start from the top and note that, sadly, use of the term “specialty” is not subject to certification from some imaginary consumer watchdog who actually ensures truth in advertising. Heck, supposed “specialty coffee” retailer Second Cup actually carries Kraft coffee, the same folks who bring you such illustrious offerings as Maxwell House, Sanka, and Nabob. For those taking notes this same argument can be extended to other non-sensical marketing terms commonly used to convince you of untruths, such as “all natural”, and “whole wheat”.
Anyways, McDonald’s is pretty sure – to the tune of $1 billion in estimated sales – they can sell high end coffee, lattes, and other European espresso drinks. Presumably, with the majority of this business at Starbucks, the thought is that all us Starbucks drinkers are about to decide we’d prefer to save $0.25 by getting our fix at the Golden Arches. Ignore the fact that they’re highly unlikely to use a quality product at the start, and ignore the fact that a large amount of people will drink Starbucks both for taste and the status afforded by carrying around a cup that says you can afford better.
I hope there’s still plaque space between the McDLT and McPizza on the head office Wall of Shame, they’ll need it somewhere around.. January 2009.