Is Starbucks Going After The Cheap Coffee Drinkers?

It's hard to imagine a world where Starbucks isn't a global force — but now, it seems that the coffee company has set its eyes on a new kind of coffee drinker. 

Thanks to the huge expansion of 15 new Seattle's Best Coffee locations in Dallas, which include drive-thrus in Walmart parking lots, many are saying that Starbucks (the parent company of Seattle's Best) is looking to gain a customer who's looking to save a buck or two. "Our customer is definitely on the go — they're value conscious and they're in need of a better cup of coffee," said the vice president of Seattle's Best, Frank Sica, to Bloomberg. "We were very strategic in terms of where we placed our locations." (With the addition of 15 new locations, Seattle's Best will have 75 locations nationwide.) 

And that means Starbucks is coming after two of its competitors — namely, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts — for their customers. Nation's Restaurant News shares that Dunkin' Donuts has been aggressively expanding in Texas, so of course, the new Seattle's Best locations are also in Texas. And McDonald's, home to the McCafé, has had stellar growth in the fast coffee category as well. It's clear that Seattle's Best is hoping to snatch up customers looking for conveniently located, and better priced, coffee.