McDonald's Takes on Starbucks

http://www.gourmetretailer.com/gourmetretailer/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003693748

Deb

Take em on! More room in the niche for me!

"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." - Princess Leia

Long live the independent coffee shops of Louisville

I wonder if McDonalds will also endeavor to get rid of that vomit-like stench that is so redolent in each of its fine establishments. I mean Starbucks coffee might suck, but the stores don't smell like public restrooms.

They could have a catchy slogan for their new cafe: McDonald's Coffee, Just as good as Starbucks, only hotter.

c'mon ye of little faith
won't McD's make the best specialty coffee, yum

McD's isn't all bad. I once spent a couple of days in Decatur, Illinois (pop. 82,000), and the McD's I visited was by far the best food I had in the city.

Which should tell you a lot about that city?

i can't think of a worse chain restaurant than mcdonalds.
it is too terrible for words

i can't think of a worse chain restaurant than mcdonalds.
it is too terrible for words

You can start with White Castle and Burger King!

[Robin Garr]

i can't think of a worse chain restaurant than mcdonalds.
it is too terrible for words

You can start with White Castle and Burger King!

White Castle? Bite yo' tongue! White Castle r00ls!

Burger King is right down there with Mickey D's, though. But I might argue that Louisville's Yum Brands has taken KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut to new lows.

In the off chance of losing all respect from all posters here, I will admit to eating at the Taco Bell on Broadway roughly across from JCC, last week. The health Department sign on the door indicated not only an "A", but 100% score. That's respectable.

The employees were quite pleasant and my quick lunch was fine, especially given the price. I had the 7 layer burrito.

OK, now back to fine dining.

Leah,
I've been known to hit a few fast food places. Taco Bell can definetly fill the void. They make pretty good gut putty. My favorite fast food place is Ollies Trolley. I Just have to have it whenever I am in town.

I'm interested to see how this will play out. Specifically, I'm interested to see how they price their beverages. I think we can all agree that coffee drinks are obscenely overpriced, even at local beaneries. Sorry. But $4 for something that costs cents to make. It seems like it's more of a markup than cocktails. It is a nice splurge sometimes, but I still cringe when turning over my hard-earned dollars. It's so much cheaper just to make it at home.

Coffee drinks do not cost pennies to make. I wish they did.
As an owner operator let me tell you that while the beans may be relatively cheap (wholesale price is about $7 a pound) milk certainly isn't. It's more expensive then gasoline most days!

I wish I was making $2 or $3 every time I pulled a shot but it just isn't so!

Add in cups, lids, equipment, utilities and rent and actually our margins aren't nearly as good as those of a cocktail bar or even those French fries McDs is so famous for.

I agree a $5 latte is too much. But when you pay $1 for a bottle of water or a soft drink and $2 minimum for a beer at a bar ($3 if it's a microbrew quality product) then paying $3.25 for a 16oz latte seems quite reasonable to me (my price at my shop).

I don't believe it's possible to make espresso drinks at home that come anywhere near to the quality level produced by coffee joints like Jackson's Organic, Sunergos or Ray's Monkey House without spending about $1000 on a home espresso machine or grinder.

If you're just talking about drip black coffee then yes certainly it's much cheaper to make a pot at home in as much as it is cheaper to buy a six pack at a grocery store then it is in a bar.

When you go to a cafe, you're not only paying for the coffee but also buying into a feeling, an atmosphere and lifestyle.

It's no different than a restaurant selling spaghetti with meat sauce for $9.99 a plate. Make it at home and you'll get the same for 15% of the price.

As for McDs and their pricing:
I expect to see them come in with a $2 cappuccino & a $3 latte with a mocha priced to match their milkshakes at about $4 for a 16oz.
I'm sure if you want to add in another shot or super size something then the cost will reach up to $5.

I was afraid that would happen.

Matt - no hard feelings to you or your business. I totally get the big picture. It's just a personal choice; the cost isn't worth it to me. I understand that it is to some people.

i can't think of a worse chain restaurant than mcdonalds.
it is too terrible for words

You can start with White Castle and Burger King!

White Castle? Bite yo' tongue! White Castle r00ls!

Burger King is right down there with Mickey D's, though. But I might argue that Louisville's Yum Brands has taken KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut to new lows.

burger king is far superier to mcdonalds. their most basic 99 cent cheeseburger is better than any burger mcdonalds sells. their fries are better, their chicken sandwiches are better, and their drink selection is also better.

burger king also has chicken fries and burger king's ads are completely awesome, unlike mcdonalds, which are terrible.


and white castle, at least in moderation, is delicious.

I spent 21 years of my life working for Mc Donald's. My job was in supervision of a local unit and commanded a nice salary as well as some good perks and bennies. I am somewhat hurt and really amazed at how some people on this board LOVE to bash certain places, in particular Mc D's. Maybe everyone should let us all know where you work so we can abase your place of employment.

Don't get me wrong. I am not supporting Mc D's here, but I think the amount of criticizing has gone overboard. They provide entry level jobs to a lot of folks that lead them into the careers they have today, such as mine as a network operations analyst.