Wendy's, P&G Couple To Offer Folgers Coffee For Breakfast

Wendy's and Procter & Gamble are teaming up to offer consumers Wendy's Custom Bean beginning next month--a Folgers Gourmet Selection coffee that the restaurant chain says will become a centerpiece of its new breakfast menu and an "important component" of its beverage strategy.

Bob Bertini, a spokesperson for Wendy's, says the company is testing a breakfast menu--for the first time in 20-something years--in 160 stores in five U.S. markets, and plans to expand breakfast to up to 30% of its restaurants by the end of this year.

"Coffee is the centerpiece of any successful breakfast program," he says. P&G's Folgers Gourmet line has "terrific taste quality. We've engaged in consumer testing and it scores extremely well. It's a high-quality, premium coffee that will compete favorably with any other coffee in the marketplace."

That would include Starbucks and McDonald's; the latter have bested the former in a recent poll. But Bertini points out that Wendy's is the only quick-serve restaurant to be serving a Folgers Gourmet blend. "We're the only major restaurant and convenience store chain with the product." P&G sells the line only in retail.

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Bertini said Wendy's will put marketing support behind the product eventually, but "one of the advantages is that P&G is already putting emphasis and support behind" the product.

Wendy's also will use P&G's Custom Café brewing technology to deliver a consistently fresh cup of coffee every time. Both regular and decaffeinated coffee will be prepared using the same equipment. This unit provides Wendy's with the flexibility in the future to dispense coffee with varied strengths and flavors to meet regional preferences.

Wendy's Custom Bean will be offered throughout the day in Wendy's restaurants serving breakfast. Other selected Wendy's restaurants will offer the coffee over time.

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