OAK BROOK Ill. McDonald’s units in western states may cut the price of 32-ounce soft drinks in about half this summer, to $1, as a way of stealing business from convenience stores, according to a report in Crain’s Chicago Business.
Crain’s said the possibility of discounting one of the chain’s most profitable menu items was raised in a memo issued April 2 to McDonald’s franchisees and intercepted by the publication.
The memo from a western division executive did not outline a launch date or say whether a soft drink discount would extend beyond that division to other parts of the country. McDonald’s corporate headquarters’ spokesmen did not return a call seeking comment.
McDonald’s has been expanding its beverage lineup to include iced coffees, espresso-based specialty coffees and sweet tea.
