McDonald’s revamps $4 billion McCafe brand

McDonald's Corp., losing ground in its battle for the nation's coffee drinkers, is planning to shake up its McCafe brand - part of a bid to challenge Starbucks Corp. and Dunkin' Donuts.

The company will reintroduce the McCafe concept next year, about eight years after it debuted nationwide. The push follows efforts to upgrade its java and get more of its beans from sustainable sources, mimicking a move by its Seattle-based rival.

'We're really excited about the McCafe brand and what it can do to complement our food offerings,” said Kristy Cunningham, U.S. senior vice president of strategy and insights. The new McCafe campaign will include special deals, more seasonal beverages and increased marketing of the chain's coffee rewards program, she said.

Coffee still is a booming business in this country, but fast-food companies haven't been able to capitalize on much of that growth. Sales at burger chains rose just 3.3 percent last year, compared with an almost 10 percent jump for coffee cafes, according to research company Technomic.

Though McCafe generates $4 billion annually in U.S. sales, it could better cater to customer needs, Cunningham said.

Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts have attracted customers with high-margin espresso, lattes and mochas. Though McDonald's offers a wide range of coffees these days, it hasn't become as much of a go-to source for upscale drinks.

McCafe is 'a very important piece,” Cunningham said. 'It gives us the chance to follow what the customer is really looking for.”

Re-emphasizing coffee is critical at a time when food sales are under pressure. Supermarkets have lowered prices, making it more alluring to eat at home instead of at a restaurant. Gas stations and other channels also increasingly are selling prepared meals, adding to the competition.

McDonald's is aiming to build on the success of its all-day breakfast, which rolled out last year across the United States. It's also upgrading stores with table service and more touch-screen ordering kiosks.

The all-day breakfast push helped fuel a return to growth, but the resurgence has been waning: Domestic comparable sales rose just 1.3 percent last quarter, and McDonald's is facing declining foot traffic.

McDonald's isn't alone in struggling to build a more sophisticated coffee menu. After Burger King introduced 10 new Seattle's Best drinks in 2013, including flavored lattes, the rollout fizzled. The company later merged with Tim Hortons, a Canadian coffee chain, though the two brands remain distinct.

The McDonald's chain, with about 14,000 domestic restaurants, said in October that it would buy all its coffee from sustainable sources by 2020. In another sign of Starbucks envy, McDonald's sold pumpkin-spice lattes across all of the nation this fall - the first time it's done so in three years.