When thinking about going to get coffee, people typically decide to go to Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Biggby— when they could go to places in their town with coffee for cheaper prices that taste equally as good instead. I visited McDonald’s, Burger King and The Scoop of Fenton to try out their coffee and see if it was worth the hype or the money. 

McDonald’s was first on my list as it is a commonly-known fast food restaurant and it can be found all over. McDonald’s has four different iced coffee flavors available: plain, french vanilla, sugar-free french vanilla and caramel. I ordered a small French vanilla iced coffee and right away I was impressed at how inexpensive the coffee was. 

For a small iced coffee, it cost me only $1.79— unlike Starbucks where I would have had to pay $4.19 for a comparable size. The first thing off the bat for Mcdonald’s was that there were some coffee grounds in the bottom of the cup which made the first sip of the coffee not very enjoyable. Once I got past the coffee grounds on the bottom, the coffee had a great mix of cream and sugar, leaving more of a subtle taste rather than a bitter one. 

The coffee at The Scoop of Fenton, an ice cream shop located in downtown Fenton, didn’t knock it out of the park in terms of coffee for me. They have a wide variety of coffee choices on their menu but I chose the cold brew. I got a 16oz cold brew and it cost me $3.95, which is a little pricey but not as bad as it could have been if I had gone to Starbucks or Dunkin. 

I personally didn’t like the cold brew, it tasted watered down and had a strong bitter aftertaste. If it were a little sweeter it would have been a hit but the bitterness just left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t typically enjoy coffee that packs a punch but if you do, then this is the place to go. 

Burger King was the location that I enjoyed the most. Unlike McDonald’s, I had never tried coffee from Burger King but I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I paid $1.79 for a small vanilla iced coffee and it was definitely not a waste of money. At Burger King, you have the choice between plain, vanilla and caramel iced coffee.

The size of this coffee was the smallest out of the three places but had the best flavor. It had a strong taste at first and then became more subtle which ended up not leaving the bitter flavor in the back of my throat. Burger King scored high in my books and is definitely a place I will be returning to for another cup of java. 

Finding coffee that is nearby that won’t break the bank can be hard to do, but maybe we are just looking in the wrong places.