McDonalds, Starbucks and me, Part Two

I won't make you scan to the end of this post in order to learn the bottom line: Starbucks has nothing to fear in losing me as a customer, but, on the other hand, if McDonalds is my closest option for coffee, I won't pout about going.

After lunch today I was in the neighborhood of a large, very busy, McDonalds. The drive-through line being daunting (they had a clerk standing on the sidewalk taking orders so either the may-I-help-you box was broken, or this is more efficient), I parked and went into a virtually empty store. It was 12: 20. I ordered a small coffee, which for some reason was 89 cents instead of the advertised 99, was offered cream or sugar (took the cream, supplied my own artificial), paid, and waited. The manager (assistant or shift leader, perhaps?) poured my coffee from a carafe 1/3 full. He looked at it, looked at me, dumped it and the rest of the pot, and poured me a cup from a carafe nearly full and in the to-go window.

I was impressed. I swear I wasn't wearing my "I Love Starbucks" tee shirt. (Do they even have those? More importantly, can I get one?) But back to the day's adventure.

I doctored it to specs and was pleasantly surprised (as I had been previously) to find it quite good. Leaving it in the car while I stopped at a grocery didn't turn it bitter.

Now at this point, I had already considered making my usual stop at Starbucks for an iced coffee. Instead, I poured this over leftover ice and drove on.

Was it as satisfying as Starbucks? No. My customer loyalty is firm.

But that new McD's chicken wrap did look interesting...