Michael J. Golde

Starbucks vs. McDonald's: Filtering Through the Coffee Wars

Katherine Glover has written a related article to this topic entitled: "Is Starbucks Good or Bad for Independent Coffee Shops?" citing my article at: industry.bnet.com/food.../

Starbucks vs. McDonald's: Filtering Through the Coffee Wars

I never meant to suggest that McDonald's revival was due to coffee sales. I don't think I said that. What I said is that McDonald's whole focus on the coffee market has changed. They weren't directly competing with SBUX is that past, but McDonald's current array of premium drinks is a different story. McDonald's exploiting a market largely developed by SBUX, but to McDonald's credit they came out with excellent products at compelling price points. Nevertheless, it does not have the cachet of SBUX and it is not a "Third Place".