The heated battle that has been brewing in the world of coffee is reaching a boiling point. Convenience stores, doughnut shops and fast-food joints are taking their brews up a notch and, in turn, spilling over into the specialty-coffee market dominated by Starbucks.
Once satisfied as a java afterthought to the coffee king, places such as Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s are about to jolt the competitive coffee market by bringing their own versions of specialty java and service to the scene.
Dunkin’ Donuts is set to expand with 150 stores in the Valley, news sure to make any East Coast transplant jittery with anticipation. It bills itself as the anti-coffeehouse by poking fun in advertisements at the fancy names assigned to drink sizes by other coffee retailers.
It’s a direct shot at Starbucks. McDonald’s is carving out stations for espresso-based coffees at its stores nationwide. It will have its own version of Starbucks’ baristas, but they’ll be called coffee specialists.
New to 7-Eleven’s menu is a coffee-infused slush, the Slurpuccino. It’s caffeinated, fat-free and about 60 calories for an 8-ounce cup. The quickie stop has also introduced a freshness guarantee along with a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign. Starbucks is feeling the heat and is responding to the invasion.
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