McDonalds is the "new" Starbucks?

[Pin Wizard]

I stop by Starbucks much less often than I did in the past. They're lucky if I'm in the door once or twice a month. The store closest to us is a training ground where the new ones seem to work with the experienced ones before they're sent to another store. Problem is I get way too many lattes that taste awful. I need to check them before I leave the store! I've gotten out to the car and headed back inside. Either they put way too much foam in the cup or they put in too much syrup. When the sugar-free vanilla is overdone, it tastes like peach to me. That is not a good flavor in coffee! It really bugs me that when I hand them a drink to be remade, they put the cup at the end of the line. I would think that if you didn't make it right the first time, you wouldn't make the customer wait again. They lost me big time on that! At $4 and change for a drink, you need to get it right!

We were in Williamsburg the other day. There was a Starbucks that was fairly new at a shopping center. I tried to stop there a couple months ago on my way home from a meeting. There wasn't a stick of furniture inside at that point, and there was a "for lease" sign on the window. Didn't last long! But we drove by this past weekend, and they were open again! I was surprised. So I guess some of the stores they've closed might reopen again? This one does have a drive-thru also. There's one around here with a drive-thru, but I don't visit that one any more often than any other store.

 

[rparmfamily]

I don't drink coffee so I don't know the prices of coffee at McD's Cafe vs Starbucks, LOL. Maybe I'll pay attention next time LOL!

 

[kydisneyfans]

I am not a coffee drinker but paid $1.97 for a cup of hot water and a tea bag at Starbucks once, and the tea was bitter. Once was enough.

My wife lives on McDonalds coffee, she does not like Starbucks either. She says that it is too strong.

We had a dirty Santa gift exchange last weekend, the first gift opened was a Starbucks gift card, nobody took it. That's not a good sign.

 

[bicker]

Why is iced coffee more $$$? I mean you actually get LESS coffee and more ice? This is a question that has grated on me for years...

I would hope it is because they have to make iced coffee super-strong (i.e., make it with extra grounds) to account for the ice-melt that would dilute the coffee to much if it wasn't super-strong.

 

[bicker]

Actually, the people at the McDonald's here are very nice and helpful. I was in there the other night to get a late dinner and they brought me out a free hot fudge sundae. Maybe it is just the area. I have never had a problem with rude employees at either of our McDonald's. Now Taco Bell on the other hand...

I think where you live does matter, but accounting for all the places I've been to McDonald's and all the places I've been to Starbucks, Starbucks does win, i.e., friendliness from the workers has been more prevalent at the various Starbucks I've been to than at the various McDonald's I've been too. However, you're not really paying for a friend; you're paying for coffee.

 

[bicker]

Personally I have never understood the fascination with Starbucks.. Why would people shell out such ridiculous amounts of money for coffee.. I don't care what you put it in - how you dress it up - what kind of fancy name you attach to it - it's coffee..

Well, it wasn't always "just coffee".

Back in the day, in many east coast and west coast urban and suburban areas, most coffee out there tasted like the water it is brewed in, which often included hints of disinfectant or mold. There was a distinct aversion, on the part of coffee purveyors to using enough grounds to have the coffee actually taste like coffee. Also, preparation of great coffee requires temperature and pressure profiles that most high-production, low-cost brewing methods used simply don't provide.

There were some notable exceptions. There were diners that served really good coffee, and here and there some local places that did so as well, but traveling you were basically taking your chances whenever you went into a coffee shop, because you had no idea what you were getting before you got it.

Also, Dunkin' Donuts developed a distinctive tasting coffee that it sold, more or less uniformly, across its service area. However, that distinctive taste, to me, tasted like they were trying to cover up something (perhaps the aforementioned disinfectant or mold?) and regardless, that distinctive taste wasn't the taste of coffee IMHO. Don't get me wrong: Lots of people equate Dunkin' Donuts with coffee. I'm not one of them.

Part of the problem with most coffee purveyors back then is that they trafficked in Light City (or "American" ) roast, the lightest roast. So the coffee was made from coffee beans, and so therefore could be called coffee, but the roast was so light that you might as well had tried to make coffee from old cherry pits, for all the flavor you'd get.

Starbucks big contribution was the introduction of darker roasts to the American palate. Their coffee was basically a Full City roast -- almost a French roast -- thereby exuding much more coffee flavor. Also note that it costs more to roast coffee beans to Full City roast than to roast coffee beans to Light City roast. That accounts for some of the difference in price between Starbucks and other coffee shops. (Again, don't get me wrong: A lot of people actually prefer the Light City roast, but the point is that Starbucks introduced the superlative value of the Full City roast to many people.)

Starbucks also helped establish a new coffee culture. Previously, there was this "old men sitting around a table playing checkers" ambiance to most coffee shops. Starbucks crafted a place where people who appreciated modern art and music would feel more comfortable. Many folks who enjoy coffee sitting in a cushioned easy chair, listening to Melissa Etheridge wafting in from Bose speakers, in a Starbucks can explain how much better that is than sitting in a hard, banquette chair, affixed to the ground, listening to "music" of conflicting musical styles coming from two boom boxes brought into the store and played too loud by inconsiderate patrons.

A few things have happened. First, a lot of coffee shops have recognized that there is an advantage to pushing beyond the pedestrian Light City roast that they've been selling, so darker roasts are now available more generally. Credit to Starbucks, but also that eats directly into Starbucks advantage. Second, Starbucks may have actually gone a bit too far. Their signature coffee was a Full City roast, two full steps above the Light City roast. There is a roast that is in between the two, called City roast. The Full City roast is a bit too pronounced for some people. That imposed an upper-bound on how far Starbucks could go. To address this barrier, they introduced their new signature coffee (Pikes Place), recently. Unfortunately, it didn't taste any better than what you could get elsewhere, but still had that Full City roast premium tacked on.

So Starbucks really sliced their own throat by not capitalizing on that intermediate City roast market soon enough, and when they did by executing poorly, with a coffee blend that simply didn't make people feel that they were drinking a special coffee.

So to answer your comment more directly, Ann, all coffee is not the same. Between the quality of the beans themselves, and the roast applied to them, completely different beverages result. Saying it is all just coffee is like saying all wine is "just wine". Sure, you could take dishwater and pour in enough sugar and cream to make it taste good, but that's just a sugar and cream beverage, not coffee. There is a specific taste that is coffee, and people who actually like coffee can appreciate the difference between good coffee and not-so-good coffee.

At this point, I can not stand Pikes Place coffee, so if we go into a Starbucks, it is only for the espresso (which is still quite good).

 

[emma'smom]

I've tried the McDonalds latte and mocha....I have to say both are pretty bad! They taste like chemicals and the cups are only 3/4 full.

I used to be a Starbucks devotee and still go through the drive thru when I am in a hurry. However, I have switched from mochas to regular coffee to save money. I do like the fact that they will put a tall coffee in a grande cup so that I can add as much milk as I like.

That being said, the best deal in town in the hazlenut coffee at Panera. 1.65 for all you can drink with a wonderful ambience and free wifi...and when it is time to leave, my Panera switch your mug for a "to go" cup so that you can take one last cup with you.

 

[jrmasm]

I've tried the McDonalds latte and mocha....I have to say both are pretty bad! They taste like chemicals and the cups are only 3/4 full.

I used to be a Starbucks devotee and still go through the drive thru when I am in a hurry. However, I have switched from mochas to regular coffee to save money. I do like the fact that they will put a tall coffee in a grande cup so that I can add as much milk as I like.

That being said, the best deal in town in the hazlenut coffee at Panera. 1.65 for all you can drink with a wonderful ambience and free wifi...and when it is time to leave, my Panera switch your mug for a "to go" cup so that you can take one last cup with you.

I agree. Their new stuff is nasty.

About 5 or 6 years ago they had good regular coffee. Now it tastes like weak instant.

Count me as another that gets Starbucks for under $2.

Give an choice between the 2, I'll stick with Starbucks.

 

[Todd&Copper]

I do believe a grande near me is very close to $3. ( iced )

I just bought a venti (the biggest) black coffee (hot) this morning in DC for $2.15. I don't do iced coffee in the winter, so I don't know how much that would be.

There are Starbucks on every other corner. I only know of one McDonald's near my office. SB gets my business.

 

[paintnolish]

McDonald's new coffees are gross! I really wish I liked them, because they'd be great to sip while the kids play. I do like Starbucks, Gloria Jeans, and Seattle's Best (in Border's book store). I also make my own every morning!

 

[Papa Deuce]

I just bought a venti (the biggest) black coffee (hot) this morning in DC for $2.15. I don't do iced coffee in the winter, so I don't know how much that would be.

There are Starbucks on every other corner. I only know of one McDonald's near my office. SB gets my business.

That's what I meant to say for almost $3.... I thought grande was the largest... shows how often I go to Starbucks...

 

[OceanAnnie]

I'm not too big on Starbucks coffee. It always tastes burnt to me. I've tried several different stores. No luck. I've had to pour some out to doctor it. Lots and lots of cream and sugar (which I normally don't do).

I know there are a lot of people that love that place. And there were plenty of people coming and going in the stores I went to. It just wasn't my cup of tea (coffee).

 

[Chicago526]

I honestly couldn't tell you what McD's coffee tastes like. I'm pretty sure it's hotter than molten lava, I can't drink it for at least a half hour after getting it, and by then I'm at where ever it is I'm going to so I don't drink it at all.

I love SB's, but I brew Trader Joe's coffee at home. A $6 can of Breakfast Blend lasts me two weeks, and I get 2 or 4 cups of coffee a day (some days I make two cups, other days I make four). But I work from home now, so it's easy to make my own all the time. If I still went to the office, I'd likey be getting me some SB's a few times a week at least. I still get a SB's grande mocha (skim with whip, please!) about once a month though. Yummy!

 

[bicker]

I honestly couldn't tell you what McD's coffee tastes like. I'm pretty sure it's hotter than molten lava, I can't drink it for at least a half hour after getting it, and by then I'm at where ever it is I'm going to so I don't drink it at all.

This is essential. Many folks put significant amounts of cream or milk into their coffee, so if you use less, or none, or powder, you'll find coffee, served at a reasonable temperature for those who are adding real dairy, to be "too hot". Keep in mind that you, at least, can wait for it to cool off; they, on the other hand, couldn't wait for it to warm up, should coffee be served at "your" temperature instead of theirs.

 

[wvjules]

I hate McD's iced coffee. Nothing beats BK's Mocha iced coffee, not even Starbucks.

I do like the seasonal coffees at SB. The White Chocolate Peperment Mocha is awesome. The only think I don't like is that they are never hot enough. Usually they are lukewarm.

 

[Planogirl]

Again, I'm not a coffee drinker but I've noticed that Starbucks has several different coffees to choose from. Do the various blends really taste that different?

 

[paintnolish]

I hate McD's iced coffee. Nothing beats BK's Mocha iced coffee, not even Starbucks.

I do like the seasonal coffees at SB. The White Chocolate Peperment Mocha is awesome. The only think I don't like is that they are never hot enough. Usually they are lukewarm.

BK Mocha is so good. I don't even want to know the nutrition on it. I am pretty sure it is part melted chocolate shake!
I also think SB's coffee aren't hot enough. I ask for them extra hot, which is one more little burst of steam. They still aren't hot. I do love the white choc peppermint, though. I know it is available all year, but I only get it during Xmas.

 

[bicker]

Again, I'm not a coffee drinker but I've noticed that Starbucks has several different coffees to choose from. Do the various blends really taste that different?

Well, it's more than that. They've got a whole selection of coffees, different coffees from specific regions, different coffee blends with different flavor profiles. They generally have three available "on tap" on any day, Pikes Place (blah), another caffeinated coffee, and one decaf coffee. During certain holiday seasons they may have a holiday blend, either in addition to or instead of the normal three.

Anyway, they offer different coffees because they do, indeed, taste different from each other... you'll never mistake the blandness of Pikes Place with the boldness of Sumatra.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Well I get the large Fat-free vanilla iced so I am thinking they charge extra for the syrup. I haven't tried any of the McCafe drinks but I am betting they are more expensive but still reasonable.

The last time I got one, I'm pretty sure it was around $3. Not THAT much cheaper than Starbucks. I'm a huge Starbucks fan, but we don't have any "real" Starbucks stores here. They are all in the malls, or Safeway, or Target. So therefore, no drive through when I have a sleeping baby. So McD's and Dunkin Donuts it is.

I drink Starbucks coffee at home, but never pay for just a normal cup of coffee. If I'm actually there, it's a flavored latte of some sort. They cost much more than just coffee. If you are comparing a cup of McD's coffee to a cup of Starbucks coffee, I think they are also around the same price. I think just a COFFEE is still under $2.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

I hate McD's iced coffee. Nothing beats BK's Mocha iced coffee, not even Starbucks.

I do like the seasonal coffees at SB. The White Chocolate Peperment Mocha is awesome. The only think I don't like is that they are never hot enough. Usually they are lukewarm.

One of the options for Starbucks lattes is extra hot. It's not the espresso that's not hot enough, it's the milk. Those lattes are mostly milk (and water, but you can also specify no water.)