OAK BROOK, Ill., Oct. 22 (UPI) — Fast food giant McDonald’s is testing sales of Monster energy drinks in key restaurants in five states, the company said.
The burger chain picked about 20 restaurants to sell the highly caffeinated drinks, including locations in Detroit and the so-called Rock N’ Roll McDonald’s in Chicago. Test sales began during the summer.
“We’re always gathering feedback from customers on the food and beverages they’d like to be served at McDonald’s,” spokeswoman Lisa McComb said in a statement Tuesday. “And this is another example,”
Consumers will have a choice of two versions of Monster: a 16-ounce can of either “Green” or Zero Ultra and the drinks will be available in a refrigerated case.
And the timing is right. Consumption of energy drinks grew 6.4 percent last year in the United States making them a $10 billion category, while soda consumption declined 1 percent, according to industry tracker Beverage Marketing Corp. Monster is the top energy drink in the country, and partly owned by Coke, which has had a long-standing partnership with McDonald’s
The addition of energy drinks is seen as part of the burger chain’s attempt to make a major turnaround after seven consecutive quarters of declining sales. The company also recently expanded menus to include all-day breakfast.
Energy drinks have a firm foothold in gas and convenience stores but so far have had small sales at restaurants.
The company would not say if there were any plans to expand energy drink sales beyond the current test.
