McDonalds and their "challenge to Starbucks"

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by contactme_11

It's called a mudslide martini
Can I get a 8 oz of milk, two oz of chocolate and two oz of martini in a to-go cup? I'm trying not to be able to taste any alcohol at all, and I don't really want to get drunk. I just like martinis.

 

[robin]

Starbucks liquor drink is actually not too bad. I'm not sure if it would go well with a martini though.

 

[Matt]

do they sell the Vietnamese ice coffee over there? I have one of those every morning....

 

[whacked]

Originally Posted by m@T

do they sell the Vietnamese ice coffee over there? I have one of those every morning....

in Vietnamese restaurants, yes.


I couldn't care less about either chain, as I haven't had their food in the last 3 years (hung out w/ friends in SB a few times but not ordered). That being said, I doubt Starbucks consider McCafe a serious challenger. They simply cater to different market segments and/or different needs. I also happened to read a review of SB business plan last week, it seems like the focus going forward is to build new company-owned stores (their bread-and-butter) in international markets, where McCafe has been around for a while.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by m@T

do they sell the Vietnamese ice coffee over there? I have one of those every morning....

We don't have a Vietnamese restaurant where I live, but every chance I get I go to one and order one of these afterwards. Delicious. Considering I can never really understand the staff all that well, I'm sure they're authentic.

 

[dtmt]

Personally I don't see myself reading a book in McDonald's on a Sunday afternoon. Although I wonder what percentage of McD's/starbucks is business is take out....

And all you food snob douchefags can go to hell. I'd gladly kill every single one of you right now for a Crunchwrap Supreme.

 

[KBW]

Originally Posted by etl

Seems to be a little bit of a problem with this statement.

I had a few drinks before I wrote that. I can look at a McD's burger or chicken sandwich and tell that it doesn't taste very good. Also after 3 am I usually don't eat but if I do have the munchies I'll make some fajitas or chimichangas. I don't know why but if I have the munchies or am drunk nothing does the job better than home-made mexican food. My old neighbors were mexican developers and they taught me how to cook real mexican food. Not to be a snob but McD's is for poor people

 

[Journeyman]

Originally Posted by Augusto86

They might chip away at the frilly extra crap - the kids who come in and get frappucinos and ****. I say good. Maybe it will get Starbucks back to its original demographic, which is people who like city roast coffee and espresso.

If that is Starbuck's original demographic, then there's something strange, because Starbuck's coffee is bad - particularly when considering the amount of money that you pay for it. Their espresso is typically weak with a burned flavour, rather than having the rich, deep flavour that one should expect from a good espresso.

I haven't had coffee from McDonalds.
However, there have been McCafes in Australia for years, as the previous CEO of McDonald's was an Australian who had been the former MD of McDonald's Australia. He introduced the McCafe concept during his time as the Australian MD, before then introducing it globally.

 

[johnle]

i rather mcdonalds coffee over starbucks any day, better and much cheaper =)

 

[Teacher]

Several years ago, our university had a Burger King in the Union. Their coffee was, of course, made from a concentrate, but I could never get over how good it was. It was strong, rich, and actually had aroma. I'm not saying I'd pick it as my go-to brew, but for a cheap and good coffee on the go, that was the one. In fact, I'm still surprised.

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Bradford

3am is prime Jack in the Box time!

+1 on Jack in the Box.

 

[argoth]

When it comes to Starbucks vs. McDonalds, I'll happily pay the four dollar premium on marginal coffee at Starbucks so as not to have to deal with the service, clientelle, and cleanliness at McDonalds.

As much as I would like to support my "local" coffee shop, the only thing worse than the quality of coffee is the quality of the service.

Arg

 

[auto90403]

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

I met a guy who has never had a Starbucks coffee from Boston. I actually met a guy who had never eaten at McDonalds and he lived in San Francisco all of his life. There is something about that that is so interesting to me.

Back when SBUX had its IPO, I acquired a few shares in the fund I was managing. I knew they were going to be huge. Everything about the company impressed me.

Except the coffee. Hated it.

So what? The stock did quite well and I'm glad I bought it.

But I also bought McD's shares when they were beaten down and everyone thought they'd lost their mojo.

I always loved that crappy McD's coffee and on road trips, the only time I ever stepped inside a McD's, I'd make a point of ordering their coffee.

Haven't yet tried their new, improved coffee, but I have no doubt it's going to be big.

We'll see if SBUX retools. My guess is, they will. But it won't be quick and it won't be easy.

 

[robin]

SBUX is another one of those stocks I wish I bought early and low, like AAPL. How many splits have they had?

 

[Antonio Centeno]

In order for Starbucks to survive they need to position themselves as the high end.....cutting back on the number of locations and increasing employee skill is a good start.