McDonalds moving in on Starbucks turf.

[Steve]

I hardly ever eat at McDonald's but I love how creative and competitive they are.

How fantastic is it that they are taking on Starbucks now with lattes.

Can you imagine they are planning on adding $1 billion in sales by making this move? Isn't that incredible?

What do you think of it? Are you a big latte drinker? Would you prefer McDonalds over Starbucks for lattes?

And what the heck is a latte LOL

McDonald’s coffee bars to take on Starbucks (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22536076/) - McDonald’s Corp is set to launch coffee bars with “baristas” serving cappuccinos and lattes, moving into direct competition with global coffee chain Starbucks Corp.

McDonald’s will install coffee bars at its 14,000 U.S. stores, incorporating theatrics similar to Starbucks’ counters, displaying espresso machines and having baristas prepare drinks, the report said.

The report, citing internal documents from 2007, said the move will add $1 billion to McDonald’s annual sales of $21.6 billion.

[Steve]

Now I just saw this article and it shows a great cause and effect.

I was wondering if consumers would prefer to order their coffee products from McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks and it appears that they indeed do!

What's your view?

Starbucks chairman Schultz returning as CEO (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22544023/) - Starbucks Corp. said Monday it is returning its chairman, Howard Schultz, to the chief executive's job to lead a major restructuring initiative, replacing CEO Jim Donald.

The move, coupled with plans to open new U.S. stores at a slower pace, comes as the world's largest chain of coffee houses has seen its stock plummet 50 percent over the last year amid declining traffic in its domestic stores.

The world's largest chain of coffee houses has struggled in recent months as consumers have cut back on spending amid declining home values and higher fuel prices. Meanwhile, competitors like Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's Corp. have cut into Starbucks' customer base by launching their own lines of gourmet coffee.