The smell of coffee in the morning brings those who drink coffee a reason to get out of bed. It seems every time we turn a corner there’s another Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf shop. Although many will swear that one brand’s coffee tastes completely different from another, just how different can they be?
Dunkin’ Donuts is known for its donuts, obviously, but they manage to compete against the biggest coffee chains in America with their selection of caffeinated products. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has significantly less shops but is still well-known. And everybody has heard of Starbucks.
If you can’t decide which coffee chain to sell your soul to, in no particular order, here are the ways in which the largest coffee chains in the U.S. are different from each other:
With its trademark siren emblem referring to Greek mythology, Starbucks has become a well-known household name around the world. The chain includes more than 12,500 stores in the U.S. alone (Statista). Although prices differ from state to state, the range for a Café Latte is $2.89 to $5.56 depending on what size – Tall, Grande, Venti – you order. They also recently raised prices by up to 30 cents on select beverages, according to CNNMoney. Starbucks offers a rewards card that allows a member to order ahead, pay by phone with a mobile app, and earn stars with purchases to eventually receive free cups of coffee. Every dollar spent earns you 2 stars, and with the Gold Status you receive a star reward every 125 stars. The brand has freshly-brewed hot and cold coffee, snacks, lunches, smoothies, tea, breakfast items, and a secret menu. Starbucks has drive-throughs in certain locations and pride themselves on providing their customers with a comfortable environment to hang out, study, or work in.
You have to be able to dunk your donut in something, and that something is usually coffee. Dunkin’ Donuts is known for their donuts, but they have recently stepped up their game against Starbucks with their coffee selection. A regular Coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, although prices again vary from state to state, can range from $1.78 to $3.00 depending on the size – Small, Medium, Large, X-Large; for the donuts, it’s around $4 for 2. This brand also has freshly-brewed coffee, a rewards program called DDPerks which rewards 5 points for every $1 spent, a mobile ordering app, and more than 8,000 stores nationwide (DunkinDonuts). They carry a large selection of breakfast menu items such as bakery sandwiches. Although Dunkin’ Donuts is keeping up with brands like Starbucks, they do not carry Frappuccinos or anything that’s “skinny,” but they do have “lite” beverages. Dunkin’ Donuts has over 80 different types of donuts that vary in availability from store to store. Dunkin’ Donuts also has a drive-through in select locations and are known for their fast service.
This smaller chain with over 1,000 stores worldwide offers 22 varieties of coffee and 20 kinds of tea. The Bean is the oldest specialty coffee and tea brand in the US and developed the original Ice Blended beverage. Their beans are hand-roasted and their tea is hand-blended. The other two chains may be considered fast-food chains while The Bean is not. Their prices for an Original coffee are around $5 to $6 for the Regular and Large sizes while their tea can come in bagged blends for around $8 to $12 each. This chain specializes in their Ice Blended coffees but also has bagels, smoothies, cakes, cookies, and other treats available for purchase. They are currently testing their mobile app rewards program in select locations, and take great pride in their interior design and carefully hand-crafted beverages.
