Looking to Steal Taco Bell's Thunder, McDonald's Offers Free Coffee The day after Taco Bell began its breakfast sales, McDonald's announced plans to offer free McCafe coffee for two weeks during breakfast hours.

By Kate Taylor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Craving coffee? McDonald's doesn't want you ordering it at any other fast-food joint. So, they're giving it away for free.

The burger chain announced today that McDonald's restaurants across the country will be serving up free small McCafe coffees from March 31 to April 13. The chain is also taking to Twitter to promote McCafe, with a different Twitter follower receiving McCafe prizes every day this year, starting mid-April.

"We take a lot of pride in our breakfast offerings and our McCafe coffee is a great complement to our breakfast lineup," said McDonald's senior vice president Greg Watson in a statement. "This event is McDonald's way of encouraging new guests to try McCafe Coffee while giving our breakfast lovers even more reason to enjoy the great taste of our signature blend."

Related: McDonald's 'Sustainable Beef' Finally Has a Definition... Sort Of.

While McDonald's has been pushing to boost its "coffee-driven visits," the chain is solidly No. 1 in fast food breakfast sales. However, the competition is heating up.

Burger King, Starbucks and Jack in the Box all recently introduced new breakfast items. Yesterday, Taco Bell launched their much-hyped breakfast line with a commercial when men around the country named 'Ronald McDonald' endorsed items such as the Waffle Taco and the A.M. Crunchwrap. Fortunately for fans of free coffee, the "real" Ronald McDonald isn't going to go down without a fight.

Related: Fast-Food Chains Are Suddenly Going Bananas Over Breakfast

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

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