Starbucks vs Dunkin'
The coffee-habit war: ritual against routine.
A-
Starbucks
Coffeehouse
How renaming the sizes hides the ladder and sells the middle
- Grade
- A-
- Price tier
- $$
- Full ticket
- 2x base-to-register
- Size ladder
- Tall / Grande / Venti / Trenta
What it does best
- The size names hide the ladder
- Grande is the compromise that wins
- The app decouples the payment
A-
Dunkin'
Coffee and doughnut quick-service
Anchor the cheap coffee with a premium latte, bundle the breakfast, and gamify the daily visit, so the run becomes a habit and the check climbs on customization
- Grade
- A-
- Price tier
- $
- Full ticket
- 3x base-to-register
- Positioning
- Beverage-led QSR; ~10,000 US stores
What it does best
- A $6.49 premium latte anchors the $3.99 coffee as the default
- The $6 Meal Deal names the bundle after its price
- Rewards and Boosted Status gamify frequency, not spend
The verdict
It is a genuine toss-up: both grade A-. They get there differently, so the better menu is the one whose move fits your craving.