"McDonald's franchisees have been unhappy in years past seeing consumers bring in beverages from convenience stores
either into their restaurants, or seeing them in cars go through the drive-thru," he says.
Smoothies, which the chain has been testing for a year, roll out with a national ad campaign next month. McDonald's is also looking at areas like frozen juice blends, with a test of frozen strawberry lemonade in a handful of markets, Bryson York reports. The step-by-step approach, which includes coffee beverages, has been deliberately deliberate. "With some things we thought we first had to build up our credibility," says Alex Conti, senior director-menu management at McDonald's USA.
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