In an uncharacteristic admission to Australian coffee consumers, on 1 June, McDonalds apologised for their poor quality coffee. The global fast food chain has deviated from its usual path whereby all its offerings are uniform. In the strong coffee culture in Melbourne, McCafé has attracted customer complaints through its coffee offerings and now the food giant is looking at improving its coffee quality. McDonald’s Chief Operating Officer Helen Nash says the move is a reaction to rising complaints that its coffee is not meeting Australian standards. “We are the largest coffee chain in Australia, but we know we are not the most loved,” Helen says. “Australians have a very sophisticated coffee palate and we are not delivering a strong enough cup of coffee.” The McCafé concept was launched in Australia in 1993 and to date, it’s grown into Australia’s largest coffee chain. With 650 stores around Australia, the plans to improve McCafé’s coffee are set to be a multi-million dollar endeavour. McDonald’s has launched its biggest Australian advertising campaign in the last two years, themed “there’s more to McCafé”. The campaign sees McDonalds apologise for its low standard of coffee, with adverts sprawling over Australian TV, newspapers and radio. To satisfy the taste buds of Aussie coffee drinkers, McDonald’s plans to improve their brew by using better bean blends and employing professional trained baristas, appointed to every one of its restaurants around the country. “We are going through a process of change like no other and have invested significant time and resources to improve our customers coffee experience,” Helen says. Coffee sales accounted for more than 10 per cent of McDonalds’ $1.46 billion in sales last year in Australia, where its 2010 revenues were reportedly $1.46 billion. In the future, Helen says the only way to monitor McCafé’s coffee quality is to continue to listen to their customer’s feedback. “Our end goal is for our customers to receive a consistently good cup of coffee at McCafé every time they visit.”
