Posted by TheShot on 07 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Beans, Café Society, Consumer Trends, Local Brew, Machine, Quality Issues, Restaurant Coffee, Starbucks
For the better part of a year, a running gag from the casual coffee lovers who know me is to ask, “So have you tried McDonald’s espresso yet? How does it rate?” Mostly they ask as a curious, sick joke — knowing that I subject myself to the worst kinds of coffee punishment. But now [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 04 May 2008 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Local Brew, Restaurant Coffee, Starbucks
Last week, the Contra Costa Times published an article announcing the Bay Area arrival of McDonald’s specialty coffee drinks: McDonald’s new coffee drinks ignite breakfast wars – ContraCostaTimes.com. Of course, none of this info is really new, so we’re a bit perplexed over how someone can “ignite” something with a two-year-long fuse. But the article [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 11 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: Café Society, Consumer Trends, Foreign Brew, Starbucks
What a strange newsweek it’s been in the coffee world. The best way to characterize it?: What’s old is suddenly new again.
Tuesday we had Starbucks’ latest cry for attention/help/suicide prevention with their mysterious “04.08.08″-on-a-lame-paper-cup campaign. Essentially, the publicity stunt announced the launch of their “new” Pike Place Roast and a “new” return to the old [...]
Posted by TheShot on 07 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Barista, Café Society, Quality Issues, Restaurant Coffee, Starbucks
One of the worst-kept secrets of the past few years is that McDonald’s has been trying to get into the espresso business. Today, news services such as Reuters and the Wall Street Journal are reporting that McDonald’s plans to launch coffee bars with the new employee position of “barista”: McDonald’s coffee bars to take on [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 21 Dec 2007 | Tagged as: Café Society, Quality Issues, Restaurant Coffee
Power to the espressophiles in New Zealand. A story in today’s news from New Zealand supports our longtime lament that cups really do matter when it comes to coffee quality: Burger King burned over coffee advertisement – New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz.
A New Zealand consumer, B Hay, recently complained that [...]
Posted by TheShot on 20 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: Quality Issues, Starbucks
Starbucks executives bristle at the suggestion that their corporation represents the fast food of coffee. (This despite lamenting memos from the chairman to the contrary.) But when was the last time Starbucks made a corporate decision that favored quality over quantity?
Case and point … the new chocolate partnership Starbucks announced this week: Starbucks, Hershey to [...]
Posted by TheShot on 19 May 2007 | Tagged as: Restaurant Coffee
Here’s a nominee for the 2007 Unclear on the Concept Award. In a reactive move to competitors who have successfully upgraded their coffee service (such as McDonald’s), the Wendy’s fast food chain has proudly announced an agreement to serve Folgers coffee to expand their breakfast offerings: Wendy’s to Begin Brewing Folgers Coffee ((BKC), McDonald’s [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 12 Apr 2007 | Tagged as: Café Society, Foreign Brew, Quality Issues, Restaurant Coffee
I’ve lamented the bizarre insistence on paper-cups-only service by so many espresso retailers in America. Adding insult to injury, according to yesterday’s Deutsche Welle, now even the McDonald’s in Germany are breaking out the porcelain cups: McDonald’s Jazzes Up Restaurants Amid Anti-Union Accusations | Business | Deutsche Welle | 11.04.2007.
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 06 Mar 2007 | Tagged as: Barista, Café Society, Consumer Trends, Machine, Quality Issues, Starbucks
The news of Starbucks‘ death has been greatly exaggerated.
That’s all I could think of when reading the media and blogosphere response over the past week to an executive memo written by Starbucks’ founder and corporate chairman, Howard Schultz (as reported here on Feb. 24). In the memo, the founder lamented the loss of Starbucks’ “romance” [...]
Posted by TheShot on 02 Mar 2007 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Restaurant Coffee
Some say the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. By that standard, McDonald’s executives should be fitted for straight-jackets and kept away from the plastic knives and forks in their fast-food restaurants.
Despite repeated failures of McDonald’s McCafé in America since 2001, bull-headed McDonald’s execs are [...]
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