Die-hard fans of McCafé espresso drinks will note their absence in many of the McDonald’s restaurants across America from the menus. A safety concern has made it necessary for McDonald’s to switch off the espresso machines that make such favorites as lattes and cappuccinos. This underscoring of the issue presents difficulties to the fast-food chain which is largely reliant on coffee for its sales.
The cause of the problem
The espresso machines, manufactured by Melitta, have been flagged for a safety concern. While the exact nature of the issue hasn’t been disclosed, Melitta advised McDonald’s to stop using the machines while investigations continue. A Melitta spokesperson explained that the company is working to determine the root cause of the problem and will soon provide a solution to allow operations to resume safely. Until then, affected machines remain out of service.
What’s still on the menu?
In spite of the current absence of espresso machines, iced coffee, brewed coffee and other McCafé coffee products continue to be served. But there is no alternative at the moment for those who love drinks made using espresso. The problem has caused a lot of disappointment among customers, particularly because McDonald’s has a reputation of being cheap and hassle-free in making coffee drinks available throughout the United States.
Impact on customers
The disruption appears widespread. Reports confirm that cities like Atlanta, Dallas, Pittsburgh, New York, and Tampa are among the affected areas. Using the McDonald’s app, customers can check their local menu to see whether espresso-based drinks are available at their location. For those in cities impacted, the absence of lattes and macchiatos might push them toward brewed coffee options or even other coffee providers.
Timing challenges
McDonald’s is under difficult situations as there is a problem with the espresso machine. The company is still on damage control after a separate E. coli outbreak that affected sales and foot traffic. If the problem continues, it could affect sales even further since the McCafé portfolio is one of the primary offerings in the restaurants to help attract and retain customers. The firm has also introduced an additional restaurant concept, CosMc’s, emphasizing the importance of the coffee business for the chain – this one will focus on selling specialty beverages.
Moving forward
The concerned parties, McDonald’s and Melitta, are actively trying to fix the problem with the machines and have them up and working. It is treatment of this nature that has to be done urgently in order to reduce the turnaround time for the customers as well as the franchise owners. This is a matter of concern for McDonald’s because selling coffee is a big business and the company sells almost 8 million cups in a day and therefore it cannot afford to keep its espresso machines off for long.
For the time being, patrons will have to settle for brewed coffee offered by McDonald’s or other brands as the problem is being sorted out. Please pay attention to McDonald’s announcements as they are in the process of arranging to have your favorite espresso drinks back on the menu.
