A Way Forward in a Weary Landscape?
McDonald's is going through troubled times, seemingly unable to innovate or capture the public's imagination. At a moment when the public is going ga-ga for Popeye's Chicken Sandwich, the Golden Arches have been unable to capitalize by drawing attention to their own chicken offerings because they're just too mediocre. Their recently-released Spicy Barbecue Chicken Sandwich, which I'll review shortly, is not only unimpressive but a distinct step backwards in terms of the quality of the chicken filet. News reports indicate that franchisees understand the problem but are waiting in vain for corporate leadership to lead the way on improved quality.
We may have to wait some time yet for McDonald's executives to stop playing chicken with their paltry poultry offerings, but franchisees might yet step forward, as they have in the past, with at least one new menu innovation that's ready and waiting to roll out and thrill customers. Its components already exist at all McDonald's locations and enterprising eaters can construct their own if they're willing. I'm talking about the "McDonald's Affogato".
Wait, What the Heck Is an Affogato?
If you live remotely close to an urban center with a decent gelato shop, then chances are they offer affogato, a classically simple Italian dessert consisting of a scoop of gelato (slightly lower-fat Italian ice cream) topped with a shot of hot espresso. The espresso melts some of the ice cream, creating a creamy coffee-sauce moat that surrounds the remaining ice cream, resulting in something like a coffee sundae. The concentrated, dark-roasted espresso is delightfully adult, creating an uncommonly rich and sophisticated experience. A decent affogato usually retails for at least $5 since it involves the labor of creating a fresh espresso shot and because the establishments that offer it are usually trying to create an upscale image and support upscale real-estate rents. And therein lies an opportunity for McDonald's.
Engineering a McDonald's Affogato
Here it's crucial to remember that McDonald's already has the all the necessary components to create this dish, though this wasn't always the case. But when McDonald's rolled out their McCafe line of coffee-based drinks, espresso was necessary as a base component for all the drinks from that derive from it, from Coffee Frappes to Mocha Lattes to Coffee Americanos to Hot Macchiatos. All of these drinks get their start with a concentrated shot of espresso, which then gets diluted, often beyond recognition. And yet the Real McCoy is still there, waiting to be exploited! And if you're one of those people that just straight-up loves the taste of real espresso and doesn't mind having their high-brow profile undercut by drinking it out of a too-large styrofoam cup, you can actually enjoy a shot of excellent espresso under the arches for a mere one dollar.
You Don't Have to, But I'm Adding Fudge
The other ingredient in our affogato is, of course, ice cream. McDonald's version is already lower in fat than normal ice cream, so it matches gelato fairly well. If we were going for 100% authenticity, we would just order a cup of ice cream, but do you really think adding a little hot fudge (or caramel) would hurt? Trust me, it doesn't. As for strawberry topping, I ain't going there, but you do you.
So, does everything go according to plan? Absolutely. Just dump the contents of the sundae (and not the reverse, lest you risk the coffee overflowing the sundae container) and the treat is ready to eat. You can't distinguish this creation from an affogato from a high-end gelateria, at least not when the stout espresso is blurring away subtle flavor differences. The coffee is bold, the soft serve is creamy, the hot fudge adds additional dimensions, and to experience this concoction is to escape to an oasis that seems so far removed from the confines of a typical fast-food joint that, while you're enjoying it, you may well forget where you are. All for a mere $2.75 when you combine the cost of a McDonald's sundae with that of a single espresso shot.
A Strategic Opportunity
It's at this point that McDonald's needs to take the reins and upgrade this item further with some proper packaging and marketing. It's not too much work to make this yourself, as I've demonstrated, but the presentation leaves something to be desired and I think those who don't thrill to the DIY experience would appreciate having the work of combining all these items done for them. And I think McDonald's could command a slightly higher price point for doing this work. It's a unique opportunity for McDonald's because there's no other fast-food operator that has the resources to currently pull this off. Starbucks has espresso but they don't have ice cream (though they could get it easily enough). Burger King has soft-serve ice cream, and Wendy's has their frosty, but neither makes coffee drinks that require espresso nor do they have the equipment infrastructure to produce it. Dunkin' also has espresso, but no ice cream machine. Baskin Robbins/Dunkin' dual locations could pull this off, but there aren't that many of those. So for now, McDonald's has the field all to itself.
Regardless of what McDonald's does or doesn't do, dear reader, you owe it to yourself to either experience affogato for the first time, or revisit it at a lower cost and at greater convenience than you may have ever imagined.
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McDonald's is going through troubled times, seemingly unable to innovate or capture the public's imagination. At a moment when the public is going ga-ga for Popeye's Chicken Sandwich, the Golden Arches have been unable to capitalize by drawing attention to their own chicken offerings because they're just too mediocre. Their recently-released Spicy Barbecue Chicken Sandwich, which I'll review shortly, is not only unimpressive but a distinct step backwards in terms of the quality of the chicken filet. News reports indicate that franchisees understand the problem but are waiting in vain for corporate leadership to lead the way on improved quality.
We may have to wait some time yet for McDonald's executives to stop playing chicken with their paltry poultry offerings, but franchisees might yet step forward, as they have in the past, with at least one new menu innovation that's ready and waiting to roll out and thrill customers. Its components already exist at all McDonald's locations and enterprising eaters can construct their own if they're willing. I'm talking about the "McDonald's Affogato".
Wait, What the Heck Is an Affogato?
 |
| The classic affogato, served with verve and style: ice cream combined with fresh, strong espresso for a rich, darkly creamy treat. |
Engineering a McDonald's Affogato
Here it's crucial to remember that McDonald's already has the all the necessary components to create this dish, though this wasn't always the case. But when McDonald's rolled out their McCafe line of coffee-based drinks, espresso was necessary as a base component for all the drinks from that derive from it, from Coffee Frappes to Mocha Lattes to Coffee Americanos to Hot Macchiatos. All of these drinks get their start with a concentrated shot of espresso, which then gets diluted, often beyond recognition. And yet the Real McCoy is still there, waiting to be exploited! And if you're one of those people that just straight-up loves the taste of real espresso and doesn't mind having their high-brow profile undercut by drinking it out of a too-large styrofoam cup, you can actually enjoy a shot of excellent espresso under the arches for a mere one dollar.
You Don't Have to, But I'm Adding Fudge
The other ingredient in our affogato is, of course, ice cream. McDonald's version is already lower in fat than normal ice cream, so it matches gelato fairly well. If we were going for 100% authenticity, we would just order a cup of ice cream, but do you really think adding a little hot fudge (or caramel) would hurt? Trust me, it doesn't. As for strawberry topping, I ain't going there, but you do you.
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| Two great tastes that go great together are ready and waiting to make affogato magic. |
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| Nope, it doesn't look like much, but this mighty shot of espresso punches way above its weight. |
So, does everything go according to plan? Absolutely. Just dump the contents of the sundae (and not the reverse, lest you risk the coffee overflowing the sundae container) and the treat is ready to eat. You can't distinguish this creation from an affogato from a high-end gelateria, at least not when the stout espresso is blurring away subtle flavor differences. The coffee is bold, the soft serve is creamy, the hot fudge adds additional dimensions, and to experience this concoction is to escape to an oasis that seems so far removed from the confines of a typical fast-food joint that, while you're enjoying it, you may well forget where you are. All for a mere $2.75 when you combine the cost of a McDonald's sundae with that of a single espresso shot.
 |
| No, it still ain't pretty, but look past the plastic spoon and the styrofoam cup, and you're enjoying the most complex-tasting dessert in the fast-food space. |
It's at this point that McDonald's needs to take the reins and upgrade this item further with some proper packaging and marketing. It's not too much work to make this yourself, as I've demonstrated, but the presentation leaves something to be desired and I think those who don't thrill to the DIY experience would appreciate having the work of combining all these items done for them. And I think McDonald's could command a slightly higher price point for doing this work. It's a unique opportunity for McDonald's because there's no other fast-food operator that has the resources to currently pull this off. Starbucks has espresso but they don't have ice cream (though they could get it easily enough). Burger King has soft-serve ice cream, and Wendy's has their frosty, but neither makes coffee drinks that require espresso nor do they have the equipment infrastructure to produce it. Dunkin' also has espresso, but no ice cream machine. Baskin Robbins/Dunkin' dual locations could pull this off, but there aren't that many of those. So for now, McDonald's has the field all to itself.
 | ||||
| See, it's really not that hard. Just order your espresso and your sundae and get to mixing. What a bargain! |
Regardless of what McDonald's does or doesn't do, dear reader, you owe it to yourself to either experience affogato for the first time, or revisit it at a lower cost and at greater convenience than you may have ever imagined.
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