McDonald’s is going upscale

The image above is taken in a McDonald’s in Germany with drink choices from its McCafe coffee and hot beverages menu.

For most Americans (I almost said ‘US Americans‘), the knowledge of McCafe counters is limited. So here’s a brief explanation: McCafe counters are portions of McDonald’s in many places outside of the US (but also in very very select cities in the US) that serve coffee, espresso, hot drinks and small sweets.

The idea behind McCafe was to draw customers away from places like Starbucks that not only offer food and drinks but an entire atmosphere to indulge in. McCafe’s, with their wood tables, leather seats, and carefully designed interiors, aim to drive customers back to McDonald’s not only for its food but for its coffees and drinks as well. Basically, it’s Starbucks, if Starbucks was called McDonald’s.

There’s a slideshow of photos from the New York Times that shows some of the progress McDonald’s has been making in the attempt to steal customers away from Starbucks. So far, it seems to be working a little bit. Reports are in that say that these upscale McDonald’s are raking in the dough.

The changes are more than cosmetic. McDonald’s is introducing healthier foods and items that cater to regional tastes, like caffè lattes. Hoping to attract more young adults and professionals, in addition to its core customer base of children, the chain is also adding amenities like Internet access and rental iPods.

The changes are paying off. In the first half of this year, combined sales at Europe’s 6,400 restaurants rose 15 percent, to $4.1 billion, compared with a 6 percent increase in the United States, where McDonald’s has 13,800 restaurants and sales totaled $3.9 billion.

It’d be cool if I could go back home and see these changes done to the McDonald’s at the corner of my block. For now, I guess I’ll just look at it all through the windows of the McCafe’s here in Melbourne.

Oh yeah, and look what I got from a McCafe here in Australia. It was a “free gift”. Sorta.

It’s a very nice mug!