McCafes....helping or hurting the golden arches?

The question that everyone has been asking - now has an answer...or does it?

BrandWeek wrote an interesting piece on how the McCafe subbrand is helping McDonald's earnings. Their CEO believes McD's success is because of an even mix of promoting the Big Mac & new McCafes and fancy coffee offerings. Second quarter sales are up and this is why! Check out their website and see how interactive it is for yourself.

Still not buying it? Not sure if the rest of us are either... Will McCafes be the next "it" cafe over Starbucks & Dunkins or will it lead to a big fat flop? What if people who go to cafes enjoy quality lattes or as Starbucks has begun doing...localizing the cafes in the cities they reside in?

Could it be Starbucks & Dunkins high-er prices that make McCafe more appealing in this recession? Nobody knows for sure but possibly a combo of all things considered will help or hurt this subbrand. Time will tell but we'll all be watching to see how the test markets work out until they move a few McCafes out East for the rest of us to taste for ourselves....

the difference btw a Starbucks & a local Starbucks

Happy to find Starbucks is refurbishing its locations with a more local feel...about time to "go local" while "going global". Although they've most likely changed the menus to appeal to local tastes...Starbucks hasn't ever created a local appeal until now.

Starbucks is testing out names for its stores to create this local appeal to improve its sales. Found an article in The Seattle Times and found it very pertinent to what many retailers are failing to provide to its consumers. From recent trends I've found, the big fancy stores are out and helping out the local farmer's market are in. Although Starbucks may never be considered the "local coffee shop around the corner", they sure are proposing an interesting idea to fit in neighborhoods a bit better. Three of its stores in Seattle will now be named after the neighborhoods they are located in - for example, 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, after the address it resides in. Although I am not familiar with Seattle, I find it an interesting way for Starbucks to engage in its headquarter city.

Not sure if it's a LT goal to do this to every Starbucks but possibly an idea to spread to certain locations. Interesting idea & hope one is remodeled to the East Coast so we can check it out!