McDonald’s is beefing up its coffee bar concept in a number of markets throughout the country with its McCafe concept, which offers consumers an expanded lineup of cappuccinos, mochas, lattes and other products, the New Mexico Business Weekly reported.
A spokeswoman for the chain’s Southwest region told the publication that select restaurants in New Mexico will get McCafé coffee shops prior to the national rollout, which is expected in the first half of 2009.
The first McCafés in New Mexico could be phased in before the end of the year, though McDonald’s restaurants in the Louisville, Ky., area were among the first to test-market the McCafé Specialty Coffee line. Several McDonald’s owner-operators in the Louisville, Ky., area are now planning renovations to add the coffee bars.
McDonald’s expanded its coffee and beverage options with the launch of its premium roast coffee in 2006, but the McCafe concept expands the lineup further.
About 80% of McDonald’s 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. Every location throughout the U.S. will phase in a McCafé if it’s able to, the spokeswoman told New Mexico Business Weekly.
A Web site for the McCafes, www.mymccafe.com, says the chain restaurants with the offerings will be in Kentuckiana, Central and Northern Indiana, Northwest Michigan and areas throughout Illinois.