Tax Crunch

Freebie alert...

Tomorrow is the 15th of April. Lots of things happen on the 15th. Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and the IRS tax deadline comes to mind. To help America get through the day of filing their taxes they are offering a FREE small hot McCafe beverage or a FREE medium iced McCafe beverage all day at participating McDonalds!
Drink up and hope you get a refund!

Fighting Back

Well, it looks like consumers are going to be the winners in the coffee wars. I read yesterday that Starbucks is going to aggressively go after McDonalds for their breakfast crowd. McDonalds has recently exploded as the place to go for breakfast with the addition of the McCafe. The coffee is pretty good, I have to say. Realistically, Starbucks cannot complete with the dollar value menu at McDonalds. The one thing Starbucks had going for them were the lattes and cappuccinos. Now McDonalds has that.
Starting in March, Starbucks is going to offer a “Value Combos”. For $3.95 you will be able to get a tall latte and either a slice of their coffee cake or their oatmeal. Or you can get a tall coffee and a breakfast sandwich. This is a pretty good deal, as the savings are over a dollar on each.
On a side note, the Oatmeal at Starbucks is priced at $2.45 (in Maryland anyway). It’s pretty good and comes with an assortment of toppings you can choose from. However, that being said, I’ve seen them make the oatmeal, and it is instant oatmeal. You know the kind that comes 10 packets to the box for about $3.99. You do the math. It’s kind of a rip-off. Like I said, I have had the oatmeal because it is really a healthy choice among the pastries in the case, and I’m usually patronizing my local Starbucks after going to the gym.

Get your Java on!

McDonald's is offering a great deal for the early risers this Month. Apparently you can get a free medium sized McCafe drink between the hours of 5-8 am every day in February (the shortest month of the year, but hey, who cares). I heard the commercial twice now. Both times, I was still in bed, just waking up so I wanted to make sure I heard it twice before posting. I personally will not be able to take advantage of this deal since I don't leave the house before 8:30 am, but Brian is super excited as he leaves for work at 6:30 in the morning and passes McDonalds every morning on his commute.

It appears that McDonalds is aggressively trying to compete with Starbucks with their coffee drinks. I had heard that they put in a "coffee bar" in the Bel Air location (Route 1/route 24). They actually closed the restaurant for a few days while this renovation was being made. I have had the cafe mocha and it is really good. I was in nutritional sticker shock when I got home and checked the stats..but it was good none the less and hit the spot on one of those cold, running around like a lunatic, holiday shopping days.

Just check with your local McDonalds to make sure they are participating! Drink up!