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As you've probably gathered, we here at Life Inc. love deals and freebies. In that spirit, we wanted to call out this freebie here: Every Friday in November, Burger King is giving away free, 12-ounce cups of Seattle's Best Coffee during breakfast hours -- no purchase necessary. Good to know, right?
What caught our eye about the Burger King offer, though, was this wording: "Not valid on flavored shots or whipped topping." Good gravy, are fancy-pants coffee drinks popping up everywhere?
Short answer: Yes.
These days anyone can be a flavored-double-shot-mocha-latte-sipping urbanite, and Burger King wants a piece of that action. When you saunter into a participating BK to get your free jolt, you'll be given a coupon for a free iced mocha or vanilla Seattle's Best Coffee for use during a future visit. The hope, of course, is that you'll get hooked on these little luxuries and keep coming back for more.
Funny thing about Seattle's Best Coffee: It's owned by Starbucks, which has been waging a do-or-die coffee war with McDonald's for several years now. The war escalated when McDonald's launched its McCafé in 2008 and began heavily promoting frothy lattes, mochas and cappuccinos in an effort to steal market share from Starbucks.
Starbucks acquired Seattle's Best Coffee in 2003 and announced ambitious plans this year to revamp the brand. The goal: To start selling Seattle's Best to the masses at more than 30,000 fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, coffee houses, movie theaters, convenience stores, kiosks and vending machines. And yes, those fast-food restaurants include McDonald's arch-nemesis Burger King.
To intensify the battle, Starbucks also just began offering all sorts of free access to music, movies, e-books and paid newspaper content to go with the free wi-fi it serves up in its 8,800-plus company-owned stores. (This, after McDonald's announced it would start offering free wi-fi in more than 11,500 of its restaurants.)
Meanwhile, another player has been battling in the coffee-war trenches (and enjoying a wildly loyal following): Dunkin' Donuts. In addition to regular ol' cups of joe, Dunkin' Donuts' beverage menu includes a stunning 180 (!!) fancy and flavorful drinks. Options range from mocha raspberry lattes to iced pumpkin coffees to strawberry fruit Coolattas to vanilla chai. Dunkin' Donuts also does brisk business selling ground coffee and whole coffee beans.
Ain't competition grand? If you're a caffeine junkie, it most certainly is.
How do you feel about fancy coffee drinks at fast-food restaurants? Cast your vote here!
Leave a Comment:
I wouldn't go to BK for a even for a free cup of that nasty Seattle's Best, they lost my business when they did away with BK Joe
This day and age in America it maybe best not to support any of the industrial fast food providers. There are just to many ethical issues associated with them such as health, unfair targeting towards children and most of all the way they avoid accountability when the unthinkable happens.
Seriously? Get a grip. It's okay for tobacco companies to be murdering people with their product, but fast food joints are supposed to take some sort of moral high ground?
well Jim people like to choose their own poison. Tobacco is old hat now and they have followed the trend offshore where they can target there users. One big difference being one can not order and have fast food shipped tax free to ones personal address like can be done online with tobacco. Personally I don't use either. In that respect I get to claim the moral high ground over both.
BK coffee is HORRIBLE. Absolutely HATE it! I now have no reason to ever go to BK again.
Not liking BK's switch to the new coffee AT ALL. The coffee itself is fine, but the process to get one is awful. Each cup is brewed individually, so it's a 5-10 minute wait for a cup. When you go to a "fast food" place, you expect to order, pay, get your food, and be on your way in a matter of minutes -- not have to sit and wait for ten extra minutes with the family's food in your hands getting cold.
Each cup is not brewed individually at the Burger King I work at. Why would they do it that way!
WOW - surprised that you did not blame Obama for the bad coffee - you blame him for everything else
I tried their new coffee. It tastes like Starbucks and I don't like Starbucks. At least the price is more reasonable.
TGIF.... get your coffee....coffee....coffee....coffee....coffee....coffee....coffee....coffee....coffee, with cream & sugar..... wish they did this on a Monday, when we really could use it.
The point is you have choice. You don't like BK...don't go and stop being a bunch of cry-babies!
Seattles Best is made by Starbucks.
If Seattle's best coffee is Starbucks, I'm glad I don't live there.
I here it rains a lot, too ;D
Just to let you know. BK coffee is not Seattle's Best. BK was Burger King's own bitter and awful instant coffee. I've had Seattle's Best before, when I visited Seattle, and it was kind of good.
One chain with good coffee they did not mention was Tim Hortons. Tim Horton locations are in Canada and select US cities along the border. When I lived in the Detroit suburbs I really enjoyed the Tim bits donuts and Tim's iced and hot coffee.
I work at Burger King, and I can assure you it is Seattle's Best. Whether or not it's good is another story.
BK's coffee is horrible now, just like subway, bitter and terrible! Subway has great breakfast sandwiches but i won't go because of the coffee. Guess I won't be going to BK for breakfast either.
Until they clean their nasty restaurants up, and remodel it will never work.