As a kid, my father always told me that McDonalds coffee was better than Starbucks but I never believed him. How could McDonald’s have better coffee than Starbucks? Well, recently I finally decided to give it a try. I bought my first McCafe Iced coffee original flavor for the price of $1.39 and to my very own surprise, it was amazing! That same day I went back and bought a second Iced coffee because it was just so delicious. Currently, McDonalds is my go-to breakfast spot on weekday mornings. I buy my coffee and a breakfast muffin for less than $3. This has not only made my taste buds happy but my wallet too. 

Will I go back to Starbucks? Only if I have a gift card. But I would prefer a McDonald’s gift card to buy more iced coffee to be honest. 

If anything, I will go to McDonald’s for an Egg McMuffin and also get a coffee due to proximity. When it comes to Starbucks, I will go specifically for coffee and if i’m hungry, also purchase a turkey bacon sandwich. 

McDonald’s and Starbucks cater to two different groups. Starbucks will remain a strong competitor because their supply of relatively inexpensive specialty coffee drinks has and continues to be in high demand. Similarly, the inexpensive breakfast, lunch and dinner items continue to be high in demand for McDonald’s. 

First, we'd like to say, we enjoyed the creativity in your padlet--it looks nice. Interesting perspective as well. Our group was torn in deciding rather or not McDonalds would actually be able to give Starbucks a run for their money. Ultimately for us it came down to what was meant by "run for their money?" Did this mean that McDonalds would take over the market or did it just mean McDonalds would become a tough competitor? 

Several members of our group too believed that McDonalds' coffee price point was going to be a big "show stopper" for the industry. McDonalds does market to a larger demographic being that Starbucks markets to higher-end clientele but we also considered Starbucks' continued higher profits due to the loyalty of their customers. 

Another argument some of us made was the convenience associated with McDonalds food—it’s quick; whereas Starbucks is known for their long lines and wait times. However, few of us still argued that Starbucks lines have always been long and they've still managed to grow their profits and maintain a loyal customer base. Does it sound like a competition yet? 

A big idea we contemplated was rather or not McDonalds would steal some of Starbucks’ customers and many of us found that to be very likely. Realistically, the daily Frappuccino at Starbucks is above some of their customers’ budgets, like students and younger working adults. We all believed that quality justified price; while half of us believed that Starbucks quality is unmatched, the others believed that it is not all that it is cracked up to be. We also discussed articles and press we found detailing McDonalds’ plans of being completely sustainable and incorporating premium quality coffee into their menus as well. Your group is right, Starbucks has beaten out all its competitors within the current American coffee industry; however, the difference with McDonalds is, it’s already a global leader in an entirely different market, only adding coffee to their menus. 

Interesting perspective on your group’s last two posts. If more people only went to McDonald’s and purchased a coffee with their Egg McMuffin because it’s convenient, how many Starbucks customers like cmoultri, would end up like karlamgo and grow a preference for McDonalds over Starbucks because of price, convenience, and in karlamgo’s opinion, quality? 

 - Group 2

In one of the posts there was mention of Starbucks’ recycle and incentive programs; this was a nice added touch as many consumers are probably unaware of these programs. Further, your point on price point is valid, and some consumers are budgeting these days. But, let’s not forget that some are not. They still want want Starbucks over McDonald’s, and the increase in summer traffic in their stores is proof that McDonald’s isn’t giving Starbucks a run for its money. Also, Starbucks is innovative. They are the one setting the standard in terms of coffee houses, drinks and snacks. Ice blended drinks at McDonald’s are based off the ever-famous Frappuccino. Also, we believe consumers will always see Starbucks as a better coffee product, no matter what McDonald’s does, because coffee is its main product. It is not a burger chain, that among, other things, happens to have decent coffee.  

- Group A (Gionna, Laura, Lindsay, Karla, Mari and Rachel)