KIM DOMIL'S COMM 101 BLOG

The world’s largest hamburger chain has highlighted that McCafe is one of its key growth opportunities. McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson noted on Thursday that coffee is one of the fasted growing categories in the global drinks business and that the company has lass than its “fair share” of the market. Thompson sees the thirst for coffee as a huge opportunity for company growth.

The increasing sales of Starbucks Corp. are a signal for Thompson to enter into the coffee market. This fall, McDonald’s has added a pumpkin spice latté to the menu of McCafe coffee drinks, a drink that has been a specialty at Starbucks for a few years now.

Meanwhile, Starbucks is trying to boost food sales and attract more traffic in the afternoon and evening hours. Starbucks has revamped its sandwiches and introduced new baked goods and additional items to the menu. But Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO is not in favor of the comparison being made with Mcdonald’s. They’re in another business — they’re fast-food,” Schultz said in an interview on CNBC earlier this year.  Similarly, Thompson stresses that McDonald’s is still a restaurant business and is not trying to be something it is not.