McDonald's Introduces Free Mocha Mondays Starting July 13th

Mondays may not be so bad after all thanks to a promotion from McDonald's

Starting on July 13th, McDonald's McCafe will be giving away free hot or iced mocha coffee drinks on Mondays. The Free Mocha Mondays promotion will available at participating McDonald's from 7am to 7pm. The last day for the promotion is August 3rd, giving consumers four Mondays to enjoy this freebie.

No purchase will be necessary to take advantage of Free Mocha Mondays at McDonald's. The size of the drinks will be smaller than the ones normally sold. Instead of the normal 12 ounce small sized mocha coffees, the hot mocha coffee will be 8 ounces and the iced mocha coffee will be 7 ounces. Hence McDonald's is referring to this as a 'free sample.' Nevertheless, a free item with no purchase necessary is still quite a draw. And for the health conscious, you can have your free mochas with skim milk if you prefer.

Free Mocha Mondays - Starbucks vs McDonald's McCafe

McDonald's is obviously trying to keep up with and surpass the popularity of specialty coffee drinks made by its biggest competitor Starbucks. Although Starbucks has more drink combinations and that European coffee house feeling inside its stores, in this economy, anything free is bound to be a hit. The Free Mocha Mondays at McDonald's could end up leaving Starbucks scratching its head to figure out what they can do to keep their customers loyal.

But do you think of specialty coffees when you go to McDonald's?

In May of 2009, McDonald's jumped on the specialty coffee bandwagon when it started it's McCafe. Even the Chicago Tribune called McDonald's move to sell specialty coffees the 'boldest gambit in decades.' Customers could get lattes, mocha coffees, and cappuccinos with their burgers and fries. Having tasted the McCafe Iced Mocha before, I can tell you that it really is just as good as an iced mocha from Starbucks and cheaper by at least 50 cent to a dollar depending on locations. Although I consider myself a Starbucks gal, I'm willing to give anything new a try, especially if it saves me money.

Whether or not the Free Mocha Mondays promotion will put the McCafe on the coffee house map is yet to be seen. But the key in this struggling economy is saving people money and Free Mocha Mondays, at the very least, could boost sales at McDonald's and bring some more attention to its McCafe.

Sources:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/mondays-free-mcdonalds-coffee.aspx?GT1=33009

http://www2.mcdonalds.com/mccafe/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sun-mcdonalds-espresso-suppljul05,0,3270399.story
Personal experience