McD's Perks Up Coffee, Menu

Fast-food giant adds baristas, fancy coffee, $1B in sales

(NEWSER) - You’ll be able to get cappuccinos, lattes, and frappes from a certified barista beneath the Golden Arches this fall, reports the Wall Street Journal, as McDonald's takes on Starbucks. It’s the fast-food behemoth's biggest menu addition in 30 years, and the company expects it to bring in $1 billion annually. It’s also a huge risk, because McDonald's traditionally appeals to customers who want simple, cheap food. More»

(NEWSER) - Now that the recession’s supposed to be just about over, it’s time to survey the battlefield and pick out winners, and nobody was a bigger winner than the Golden Arches, writes Daniel Gross for Slate. McDonald’s sales grew more in 2008 than in 2006 or 2007, and it opened 600 more stores even as its competitors were closing theirs down. So far, it’s had same-store sales boosts in every month of 2009. How’d Ronald do it? More»

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is climbing, financially and socially

(NEWSER) - A success story is brewing in tiny-town Vermont, where a coffee roaster is supplying beans to 600 McDonald's restaurants across 50 states and 25 countries. The creator of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Bob Stiller, never imagined such a feat—nor the $121 million in sales last quarter—when he started the business in 1981. "This vision of today was not in his mind," Green Mountain exec Jon Wettstein said. More»

Loyalty card, new machines headline plans to jolt coffee giant

(NEWSER) - A customer-loyalty card, a new website and upgraded brewing machines highlighted changes in store at Starbucks, the Wall Street Journal reports, with CEO Howard Schultz using today's annual meeting to re-focus the firm on quality of customer experience. The card will offer rewards for regulars at the coffee giant, which aims for a social-networking flavor with its new internet presence. More»

Slumping company looks to both high-end and low-end products

(NEWSER) - Struggling with its first major sales slump, Starbucks hopes to lure back customers with a $2.50 cup of luxury coffee. The company hopes to find a high-end niche among serious coffee aficionados with the new brew, made in an $11,000 gizmo similar to a French press, Bloomberg reports. The company already is experimenting with a $1 cup with free refills. More»