CHICAGO – McDonald’s is going after a bigger slice of the coffee market north of the border.
McDonald’s has opened its first standalone McCafe in Toronto, allowing the world’s largest burger chain to better compete with coffee shops and cafes in large urban areas.
The McCafe is at Union Station, the main rail station in Ontario’s capital. A second location is slated to open at First Canadian Place, a skyscraper in Toronto’s financial district, in early 2016.
Each location will feature self-ordering kiosks, mobile device charging stations and free Wi-Fi. The menu will feature croissants, danishes and other bakery items as well as Egg McMuffins, sandwiches and salads.
The McCafe brand was officially launched in Canada in 2011, and since then, coffee sales have tripled and McDonald’s said it has more than doubled its share of the coffee market, sparring with established competitors like Tim Horton’s.
McDonald’s, based in suburban Chicago, tested the concept in the U.S. to little success. It opened its first U.S. standalone McCafe in Chicago in 2001 and tested a few other locations, but they have since closed.
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