Day: December 12, 2003

Mighty Beanz

looky

It’s a toy… looks like you use them to play “marbles” and other games.

They all have different faces on them, and they are “Collectable” in the sense that when you buy them, you don’t know which one you are getting.
Web link of note: Mighty Beanz
(At http://www.mightybeanz.com/)

McCafe

looky

I remember in 1995 (1994? somewhere around there) I joked that there should be a McSpresso. After an abortive test in the Chicago area in 2001, McCafé has made a landing (two landings) in the Silicon
Valley.

They seem to be pitched at people intimidated by Starbucks. Seriously.

When grabbing chashu bau from Hong Kong Bakery in Mountain View, we saw these two young guys dressed like Mormons handing out flyers. One of them had a huge tank strapped to his back which made him look like a supervillain. He dispensed coffee from a hose that ran along his arm… They were very cool, and we did some guerilla counter-meta-marketing by convincing them they needed pork buns for lunch. We got pamphlets and coupons for free coffee.

Anyway… went to McCafé today. It’s a McD’s with half of the space converted into a cafe, with a second counter just for coffee and espresso drinks, and cakes and sweets. They do have real dishes for “for here” orders, which is nice… this particular installation didn’t have much in the way of comfy chairs though.

The coffee was pretty good. The “medium” is about 10 ounces. The coffee is not as strong as Starbucks, and obviously nowhere near as full of drugs as Peet’s… so yeah, it is less threatening certainly. There aren’t any flavorings that I could see, and the menu is very simple.

I bantered with an older lady who was pounding some chocolate cake and apparently feeling a little guilty about it… there were a lot of old people there trying out the new restaurant. Early adopters! Everyone was friendly from being full of drugs and being at a palce they felt they knew, McDonald’s.

The day had kind of a dot-com feel to it… new toys, free stuff, and caffeine. Yay!

And of course there is WiFi at McCafé. Haven’t tried it yet… although I have to admit that now the prospect of having “Wayport” internet in McD’s is a lot less silly than it was before. Wifi in McD’s, silly. Wifi in McCafé, less silly. Who knew? They are tricky, those guys at McD’s.

Because I am a psychotic, and McCafé has no online presence as of yet, I’ve typed in the entire suite of marketing materials, minus the menu portion:

The mailer:

McCafé

Sit back in a comfy chair with a great cup of specialty coffee you actually ordered in three words or less

This easygoing experience is all about you, whether you stop awhile or get yours to go

So stop rushing and start Relaxing. Come in to McCafé.

The pamphlet:

finally, a coffeehouse without a superiority complex

Welcome

At last, a relaxing, friendly place for delicious specialty coffee. The more comfortable we can make your experience at McCafé, the better. The only thing you do is decide which coffee drink you want. Then sit back and enjoy.

User-friendly baristas

“Barista” is just another name for the friendly person behind the counter ready to take your order. Baristas make the espresso drinks, too. If you have questions, ask! They’ll be happy to offer questions so you get exactly the coffee drink you want.

Rich, delicious cofffee

The McCafé espresso is full-bodied, slightly woody, smooth, rich, and light with a vibrant character. The bean make-up is an Arabic bean that delivers the taste profile.

[Menu]

Back of pamphlet:

McCafé

Have a delicious day at McCafé

What makes a rich cup of coffee taste even better? Something delicious on the side. You’ll find an incredible variety of muffins, cakes, cookies, sweet treats, and gourmet sandwiches at McCafé. Fresh every day, we’ve always got something new that’s sure to tempt you.

Read on for a small sample of the wonderful things you’ll McCafé.

Muffins & Treats

At McCafé, you’ll find just the taste you were craving. Try a Dulce de Leche Muffin exuding a tempting combination of sweet cream and caramel flavors for an out of the ordinary taste treat. Or an irresistable Cinnamon Dream Roll with a generous topping of cream cheese frosting. Let chocolate infused with espresso flavor melt in your mouth with an Espresso Brownie.

Cakes

McCafé is a cake lover’s paradise. Sample that incredible incredible mouthful of chocolate pudding tucked between two layers of moist, dark chocolate cake, and you’ll know it’s true. Or try Apple Caramel Cake, moist sponge cake layered with tart apples, creamy caramel apple grammies, and walnuts. A Mocha Cheesecake, delicious swirled coffee and mocha flavors on a chocolate crust, is perfect for cheesecake fans.

Cookies

Everybody loves a good cookie. At McCafé, you’ll find just the one you wanted whether it’s a wonderful, cinnamon and gingery sweet classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookie or a classic Chocolate Chip Cookie that’s big, thick, and chunky, loaded with rich chocolate chips in every bite. Crisp Italians Biscotti offer the the perfect combination of taste and texture in Traditional and Decadent dipped in chocolate flavors.

Gourmet Sandwiches

Delicious gourmet sandwiches use fresh ingredients to create amazing, unexpected taste combinations like Turkey with Roasted Red Pepper & Gorgonzola on Tomato Focaccia. Or try a Smoked Chicken Salad Spinach Wrap with premium lettuce blnd & sliced tomato. And Smoked Ham & Swiss on Rosemary Panini with spring mix, sliced tomato & Swiss cheese sauce is sure to please!

Went to McCafé today. It’s a McD’s with half of the space converted into a cafe. The coffee was pretty good.