Some like it hot. Coffee, that is.
January 16, 2008 – 9:16 amI’m a big fan of caffeine. Coffee, in particular.
Everyone knows that coffee is hot (no pun intended) in the quick service restaurant market right now. Most of the restaurants are advertising coffee and coffee related drinks.
Interesting read today on Chief Marketer about McDonald’s coffee strategy.
McDonald’s – who took some coffee ground away from Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts last year – announced that they’ll install coffee bars with Starbucks-like baristas in 14,000 U.S. locations this year.
I feel that McDonald’s calling their coffee crew members baristas is an insult to the profession, but nowadays even Starbucks has simplified the process to cut down on bad drinks. Starbucks has a pretty extensive employee training and education program in place that is going to be tough to match.
Barista: (via wikipedia)
When using the term in English, “barista” refers to one who has acquired some level of expertise in the preparation of espresso-based coffee drinks. Within certain circles, its meaning is expanding to include what might be called a coffee sommelier; a professional who is highly skilled in coffee preparation, with a comprehensive understanding of coffee, coffee blends, espresso, quality, coffee varieties, roast degree, espresso equipment, maintenance, latte art, etc.
Convenience, as the article references, is a big part of it. Have you noticed that most of the Starbucks that have opened recently have a drive-thru? That’s not a coincidence.
Starbucks has a strong brand. And McDonald’s, even with installing coffee bars, won’t be able to recreate the experience of sitting in a Starbucks or your favorite local coffee joint and sipping on a latte while downloading music on your iPhone.
Technorati Tags: Starbucks, McDonalds, coffee, barista, QSR, quick service restaurant
