Fast-food chain McDonald’s has begun selling Monster Energy drinks in 20 locations in five states, according to multiple media reports. A McDonald’s spokesperson told Bloomberg Businessweek that the company is “always gathering feedback from customers on the food and beverages they’d like to be served at McDonald’s, and this is another example.”
McDonald’s primary beverage supplier is the Coca-Cola Co., which last year acquired a 16.7 percent stake in Monster Energy Corp. As part of the acquisition deal, Coca-Cola took over distribution of Monster beverages to most U.S. retailers.
The addition of Monster Energy drinks to McDonald’s stores comes amid a sustained decline in soda consumption and continued sales growth of energy drinks. While McDonald’s declined to say if it would add Monster products to more locations, the test is one of a number of recent attempts by the company — including the addition of an all-day breakfast menu and a kale burger — to breathe new life into its stores, which have seen sliding sales since 2012.
While this is not the first time that McDonald’s has tested an energy drink in its stores — the company added Coca-Cola’s Full Throttle to 15 restaurants in Texas in 2006 — The Wall Street Journal reported that McDonald’s is selling 16 oz. cans of Monster Energy in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. The beverages are priced at $2.29 or two cans for $4.