McCafé® brews up café location expansion

New McCafé locations will be franchised and street-level, bringing McCafé into local neighbourhoods with local owners

TORONTO, June 22, 2018 /CNW/ - On the heels of its successful McCafé Bagel launch, today the brand announced that it is opening more McCafé locations this year for guests to enjoy.

The two new café locations will be owned and operated by local McDonald's franchisees and will occupy street-front retail space in Toronto, marking a strategic evolution in location and format since the initial launch of the cafés in late 2015.

The response to the current McCafé locations has been tremendously positive: in just the past year, the two locations at Union Station and Exchange Tower are enjoying more guests through the doors and increasing sales.  The McCafé locations feature a unique menu and smaller footprints than traditional McDonald's restaurants, allowing the brand to expand into high-density urban locations. 

While the brand continues to grow market share in Canada, establishing McCafé as a café destination is part of the company's ongoing strategy to build on its reputation as a leading coffee brand and marks the next step of the McCafé brand evolution.

Quotes:

"The McCafé locations are a winning offering with our guests. That's why I am thrilled that we're doubling the number of them this year with plans to build even more down the road," says John Betts, President and CEO of McDonald's Canada.

"I've been a McDonald's franchisee for over 28 years, and it's been amazing to see the growth and evolution of McCafé alongside our guests," says Andre Hu-A-Kam, McDonald's Toronto franchisee. "I'm proud to be a McCafé franchisee in Canada and can't wait to offer our guests the full McCafé experience."

Facts:

• The new McCafé site will be located at 253 College Street and is expected to open this summer. Another location at Yonge & Gerrard will also open by the end of 2018.
• The new McCafé locations feature an exclusive lineup of café fare that includes freshly made in-house sandwiches, such as grilled cheese on artisan bread with flavour selections including Bacon Pepper Jack & Guacamole, Swiss and Tomato, and Cheddar & Tomato. Guests can also look forward to all-butter freshly baked croissant sandwiches, with options such as Bacon and Egg, made on-site with a freshly cracked egg.
• All café locations also feature the new McCafé Bagels, Real Fruit Protein Smoothies, Iced Frappes, Egg McMuffins®, McFlurries, along with McCafé Premium Roast Coffee, specialty coffees and the signature Affogatto.
• The first two cafés are located at Union Station and in the Exchange Tower at First Canadian Place.
• Café lovers can look forward to a modern setting featuring contemporary seating, quality finishes as well as an exclusive lineup of café fare and iconic menu favourites.
• The McCafé brand officially launched in 2011 as part of the transformation and renovation of Canadian restaurants, adding a McCafé logo to the buildings under the Golden Arches™ and introducing espresso-based beverages with fireplaces and comfortable seating.
• The McCafé brand enabled new category development including Real Fruit Smoothies in 2012, and Iced Frappes in 2013. The brand has continued to grow with the introduction of new menu categories such Real Fruit Smoothies in 2012, Iced Frappes in 2013, as well as Bakery in 2015, and Bagels in 2018.
• 71 per cent of Canadians (aged 18-79) consumed coffee in the past day*

*Source: 2017 Canadian Coffee Association Study

ABOUT McDonald's® Canada

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald's restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day.  Together, McDonald's and our franchisees proudly employ nearly 100,000 people from coast-to-coast and more than 90 per cent of McDonald's 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, beverages and packaging, more than 85 per cent is purchased from suppliers in Canada. For more information on McDonald's Canada visit McDonalds.ca.

ABOUT McCafé®

The McCafé brand has established itself as a leading player in the Canadian quick-service coffee landscape with its Premium Roast coffee, surprising and delighting guests with each cup. Building on its strong coffee credentials, McCafé has expanded into grocery aisles and airplanes, evolved to include a McCafé Bakery menu and launched standalone cafés in Toronto with an expanded menu and now brought on board WestJet flights. For more information on our commitment to brewing the perfect cup every time visit www.mcdonalds.ca/mccafe. Follow the brand on Instagram at (@McCafeCanada).

SOURCE McDonald's Canada

Adam Grachnik, 416-446-3354, [email protected]