A Maryland McDonald’s slap their landlords with a lawsuit

When Dunkin Donuts signed an agreement to open up and outlet in a Montgomery County shopping centre, the move, as expected, did not sit well with McDonald’s.

The New England favourite offers a menu that includes signature ranges of coffee, breakfast and lunch items that you may associate with other food and beverage retailers. 

McDonald’s took note and reacted to this news in a headline grabbing manner.

Did they come up with a wild promotion to draw attention away from the appearance of their rival, or did they initiate some wacky scheme to ensure the spotlight remained solely focused on the golden arches?

The fast-food chain filed a lawsuit accusing its landlord of breach of contract.

McDonald’s lease for the space located in the Red Mill Shopping Center lays out that the restaurant will be free of competition, within 2,000 feet, from restaurants that serve ‘menu items substantially similar.’

But how similar is similar? 

The lawsuit lays out a number of ‘duplicated’ items – that can be seen above – that contravene the agreement between tenant and owner, including the current battlefield that everybody is fighting over; coffee.

With McDonald’s aiming to utilise its McCafe range to wrestle business away from other (coffee serving) retailers and drive up their continued profits, battle lines were always going to be drawn if their monopoly was placed under threat.

Estimated losses, according to the lawyers acting on behalf of McDonald’s, were put at potentially exceeding $75,000.

Coming to a close, the lawsuit states that the fast-food outlet are seeking financial compensation from Red Mill Shopping Center Associates, LLC and for the court to rule that the contract with Dunkin’ Donuts should be voided.

The paperwork for the lawsuit was filed on Valentine’s Day, proving that all is fair in love, war, and coffee.

photo: ineedcoffee (Flickr), used under Creative Commons