Americans soon will be able to order a latte with their side of fries at McDonald’s restaurants, as the fast food chain initiates coffee bar buildouts at most of its sites around the country.
A spokeswoman for the chain’s Baltimore region said two restaurants in the region already have McCafé coffee shops prior to the national rollout, which is expected in the first half of 2009. A McDonald’s at 6001 Moravia Road in Baltimore and a location on Bel Air Road already have the coffee shops, the spokeswoman said.
Currently, 20 McDonald’s restaurants in Maryland, most of which are on the Eastern Shore, have the coffee shops. McDonald’s anticipates its 137 Baltimore-area restaurants to house McCafé’s by the end of the year.
McDonald’s restaurants in the Louisville, Ky., area were among the first to test market the McCafé Specialty Coffee line. Several Louisville-area McDonald’s owner-operators are now planning renovations to add coffee bars, which will serve cappuccinos, lattes, mochas and baked foods.
Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) expanded its coffee and beverage options with the launch of its premium roast coffee in 2006.
About 80 percent of McDonald’s 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. Every location throughout the U.S. that is able to will phase in a McCafé, said the spokeswoman.
McDonald’s is also testing McCafé kiosks in airports and other locations outside the U.S., said its spokeswoman.
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