Original Blog Entry: Free coffee Fridays at Burger King

truesee — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:08:48 GMT

Free coffee Fridays at Burger King

8:36 AM, Nov 4, 2010 |

Associated Press

MIAMI -- Burger King is looking to put some pep into its new breakfast push by giving out free cups of coffee every Friday morning this month.

The goal is to promote the company's new breakfast menu, which rolled out in September. The company launched a major marketing blitz, with the aim of eating up some of McDonald's market-leading morning business.

Coffee, including specialty coffee drinks like mochas, has been a major driver of business for McDonald's. Now Burger King is highlighting its Seattle's Best Coffee, which it started selling earlier this year, to drive more breakfast business its way.

The company will give out free 12-ounce cups of the coffee, which sells for $1 each. No purchase is necessary. Guests can receive the coffee during breakfast hours, until about 10:30 a.m.

Burger King declined to say how much it is spending on the promotion, which will be highlighted in a marketing campaign. It expects to give away between 2 million and 4 million free cups throughout the promotion.

The chain will also give away coupons for free iced Seattle's Best Coffee for a future visit. Those drinks, in either vanilla or mocha flavors, were among nine new breakfast items the company introduced earlier this fall.

Other items include blueberry biscuits and pancake platters.

Burger King North America Chief Marketing Officer Mike Kappitt said the company is seeing a significant increase in breakfast sales and traffic. He said the new line of breakfast platters are among the more popular items.

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