McDonalds opens McCafe in Canada - Espressotec, Vancouver, Canada

Coffee / Espresso Article

MCDONALDS OPENS MCCAFE IN CANADA

Fast food moves upscale as the mega foodservice chain opens first stand-alone cafe in Montreal
Canadian Restaurant (trade magazine), Fall 2001

McDonalds is vying for a share of the gourmet coffee coffee shop pie with the opening of the first stand-alone McCafe in (Longueuil) Montreal, Quebec in mid August. This follows the first testing of McCafe products at a restaurant in Burlington, Ontario McDonald's location in May and the first full market test of its "integrated front counter service model" McCafe in London, Ontario in August. The McCafe menu available throughout the day, offers customers a variety of choices such as the "Cafe Blend" coffee brewed from 100 per cent Arabica beans -a rich, dark roast regular and decaffeinated, as well as specially blended espresso, cafe latte, cappuccino, a selection of teas, iced cappuccino and frothy blends including Mocha, MacIntosh Toffee and French Vanilla. Also on the plate is a selection of fresh baked goods including muffins, cookies, Cinnamon pull-aparts, Tiger brownies, No-nut brownies, Wildberry Macaroon bars, date squares, butter tarts and Triple chocolate Fudge Cake. Tins of the ground Cafe Blend can also be purchased in regular and decaffeinated.

Today's McDonald's customer is in a hurry, yet seeking a unique and enjoyable coffee experience," says Rem Langan, Vice President of Marketing, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited.

Many of the stand-alone cafes like the one in Montreal feature fine china with stainless steel flatware for dine-in customers. All
menu items are also available for take out. The ambiance is designed for comfort, which includes leather couches, chairs and bistro- style tables, with vintage French posters, lace curtains and mahogany and granite accents. A McCafe concept for (Maple Ridge) Vancouver, B.C. in 2002 will feature separate service, in- restaurant cafe kiosks.

Additional McCafe trials will take place in New Brunswick and P.E.I. later this year. The corporation will be watching customer reaction to the McCafe concept closely to determine it's potential in North America. Although the McCafe is new to this side of the ocean, its idea has been embraced successfully overseas for the last eight years.

The concept was first introduced in Australia in 1993 and has evolved into a successful enterprise, which includes countries such as Brazil, Italy, France, New Zealand and Argentina, with some 300 McCafes worldwide. McDonald's introduction of McCafe into Canada makes it the15th country to debut the concept. Each county has adopted a unique variation of McCafe to best suit their needs. All McCafes are within or adjacent to existing full-service, traditional McDonald's restaurants.

McDonald's is the largest foodservice company in the world. McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited and its Canadian franchisees own and operate more than 1,170 restaurants and employ more than 75,000 Canadians coast to coast. Over 70 per cent of McDonald's Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs.