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McDonald's McCafe beats Starbucks in taste test
3/26/09 - Christa Hoyland
When McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said McCafe coffees consistently won over customers, my fellow co-workers and I were skeptical. Several on the staff are diehard Starbucks fans who purchase specialty coffees from the fast casual chain daily, or at least several times a week. So we conducted our own informal taste test.
I am not a coffee drinker, so I could easily play the part of the unfamiliar customer ordering the new drinks at McDonald's. At the counter, a laminated sheet guided me — and staff — through the ordering process, listing the choice of drinks, flavorings and milk options. I ordered a vanilla latte, cappuccino and mocha, each in large to accommodate the six samplers. (All were priced $3.39. The Starbucks products ranged from $3.65 to $3.95 for the venti size.)
I watched a McDonald's manager move from making drinks for the busy drive-thru during lunch to the McCafe area. At this particular location, the McCafe bar was in an L-shaped area off to the side of the order counter and gave me a clear view of the preparation process.
The McCafe machine had clear funnel-shaped dispensers on top filled with dark coffee beans. Bottles of flavorings sat on the counter behind it. The manager pumped a squirt of chocolate syrup for the mocha, and pulled a bottle of Redi-Whip from a refrigerated unit under the McCafe machine to top it off.
She appeared proficient at what she was doing, and double-checked that I indeed did want a cappuccino with no added flavor. But making three coffees took several minutes, and I couldn't help but wonder if the McCafe products were affecting the chain's drive-thru times.
Later, when I asked Proud, she said the McCafe buildout was designed so that it would not impact drive-thru times. Operations tests included counting the number of steps from the machine to the drive-thru to chose the optimum location for the McCafe unit.
Scott Frisbie, a 25-year owner/operator for McDonald's with 17 units in Orange County, Calif., said he has not seen the McCafe products affecting drive-thru times.
"The way the systems are in place and the traning that we put in place and the investments that we made into the restaurant to make the whole operation — particularly the drive-thru — more efficient, has balanced it all out," he said.
Once we completed our taste test, all of us — the taste testers and those conducting the test — were surprised that the McDonald's McCafe products won, especially that the Starbucks regulars preferred the McCafe coffees.
Here are our results:
- Cappuccino— McDonald's 4, Starbucks 2 (one tester was unavailable for this portion)
- Vanilla latte— McDonald's 4, Starbucks 3
- Mocha — McDonald's 6, Starbucks 1
For the vanilla latte results, those who preferred the Starbucks product found the McDonald's latte bitter or too sweet. Those who preferred the McDonald's product thought the Starbucks product too weak. Both products got compliments on their flavor.
For the cappuccino, those who preferred the Starbucks product found the McDonald's product bitter or burnt tasting. But for the majority who liked the McDonald's product, they preferred its color and depth of flavor.
While the McDonald's mocha won 6-to-1, some tasters thought both brands were weak tasting. Most thought the Starbucks product tasted weak or watered down.
While the McCafe products were preferred, Starbucks regulars said the atmosphere there would keep them going back to the fast casual chain for the coffeehouse experience.
Proud said McDonald's does not plan to convert its U.S. stores to coffeehouses but instead will focus on the overall experience that resonates with its customers.
"Our focus and our efforts remain very, very aligned around our business, our system, training our people, engaging our people, focusing on our business and what we're able to do with it," she said. "We know that staying the course and staying that focus is ultimately going to get us to where we need to be with our customers."
Click here for a video of the taste test.
