- McDonald's (MCD +0.4%) announces it will run a free coffee promotion from March 31 to April 13 across the U.S.
- Customers can receive their free small coffee during breakfast hours at participating restaurants.
- What to watch: The initiative appears to be a direct shot at stealing the thunder away from Taco Bell's large breakfast push. Taco Bell has coffee, but is still working on upgrading stores to sell premium coffee products.
- Earlier this week, an exec with Taco Bell (NYSE:YUM) said the company will push marketing lever it has to win breakfast share. It appears the next lever for the chain is free coffee.