What tastes better than a McDonald's mocha?
Answer: a FREE McDonald's mocha.
Starting July 13, McDonald's will give away a hot or iced McCafé mocha to consumers every Monday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The last Free Mocha Monday is Aug. 3.
No purchase is necessary to get a 7-ounce iced mocha or an 8-ounce hot drink -- both smaller than the 12-ounce "small" size on the menu. That's because it's all about the coffee at McDonald's right now. In what the Chicago Tribune called the fast-food chain's "boldest gambit in decades," McDonald's launched a national campaign in May to make us think McCafé as well as Big Mac. We'll have fancy coffee rather than fries with that.
This is a primo freebie in a year that's been full of them. The mocha giveaway is also big in McDonald's view. "This is one of the largest sampling initiatives we've taken on as a company," McDonald's spokesman Neil Golden said, according to The Associated Press.
Should Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts be worried? And are regulars going to order a cappuccino rather than soda pop?
Michael Bauer at SFGate shared this information from Phil Lempert's Supermarket Guru newsletter:
- About 48% of Starbucks customers visit McDonald's at least once a week. Compared with August 2008, that represents a 51% increase in luring Starbucks customers to Mickey D's.
- To lure back customers, Starbucks has reduced the price of some drinks by 25 to 45 cents. More customers are ordering smaller sizes, less expensive items or going less often. Still, McDonald's coffee drinks are 25% to 40% cheaper.
- When the line was introduced two years ago, McDonald's market share was 3.3%; Starbucks was 9.8%. May 2009 figures show that McDonald's has risen to 5.4%; Starbucks' fell to 9.2%.
Rick at Rick's Food Critique wasn't all that thrilled with his first foray into McCafé drinks, but an offer of a free mocha will entice him to try again. He added that "the fast food chain didn't grow into a giant without knowing how to keep unsatisfied customers coming back."
He's got a point there. A free mocha will get us to McDonald's on Monday (if our local store is participating, and you should always check first) when we'd otherwise drink plain coffee at home. Heck, the free coupons we downloaded for a free Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal during that new-product promotion had us heading to KFC twice, and we hadn't eaten at one in years.
Bonus: If mocha doesn't appeal to you, here are some other upcoming or ongoing freebies:
- A free Slurpee at 7-Eleven on July 11. (That's 7/11, get it?)
- Buy one sundae at Ben & Jerry's and get one free on Mondays with this coupon, good through Aug. 31.
- Every Wednesday this summer, Arby's is giving away a free menu item with the purchase of another.
- A free kids meal with an adult purchase of $4 or more after 5 p.m. at Taco Del Mar in July.