THE GREAT ONEIDA COFFEE WAR: Who Will Rule the Morning Commute?

CNY Online News
2 hours ago
3 min read

ONEIDA, NY — Forget Yankees vs. Red Sox. Forget Coke vs. Pepsi. Oneida may soon have a rivalry far more serious:

Who makes the coffee that gets you through Monday morning?

The battle lines are being drawn along Genesee Street, and the weapons of choice are espresso shots, iced coffees, breakfast sandwiches, flavored energy drinks, and drive-thru lanes.

Oneida already has some serious caffeine competitors. Dunkin’ is firmly planted at 213 Genesee Street, complete with drive-thru and mobile ordering. Just down the road, McDonald’s at 274 Genesee Street brings McCafé coffee, plus the considerable strategic advantage of being able to throw an Egg McMuffin and hash brown into the deal.

Then there’s the hometown contender, The Blend, whose main café and drive-thru operation is at 264 Genesee Street.

And now a new challenger is preparing to enter the arena.

7 Brew Coffee is under construction at 216 Genesee Street, adding another drive-thru coffee option to what is quickly becoming one of the most caffeinated stretches of road in Central New York. No official opening date had been announced in the latest construction update.

ROUND 1: DUNKIN’ — THE VETERAN

Dunkin’ enters the competition like the experienced prizefighter.

It has the name recognition.

It has the loyal customers.

It has donuts.

And perhaps most importantly, half the population appears capable of ordering their Dunkin’ drink using a sentence containing approximately 37 words without taking a breath.

Advantages: Established customer base, drive-thru convenience, and people who would probably defend their Dunkin’ order in court.

ROUND 2: McDONALD’S — THE SLEEPER

Never underestimate McDonald’s.

You may pull in thinking:

"I'll just grab a coffee."

Three minutes later, you're leaving with a coffee, two hash browns, a breakfast sandwich, and somehow you're enrolled in McDonald’s Rewards.

McDonald’s secret weapon isn't necessarily having the fanciest coffee.

It's this:

You're already there because you wanted breakfast.

That makes the Golden Arches a dangerous opponent in the Oneida Caffeine Championship.

ROUND 3: THE BLEND — THE HOMETOWN FAVORITE

Then we have The Blend.

The locally established contender.

The Blend doesn't have to introduce itself to Oneida. It has already built its own following, and its menu stretches beyond traditional coffee into specialty beverages and other café offerings.

In a town where people like supporting local businesses, that hometown advantage matters.

The Blend's battle cry:

"Why go corporate when your neighbor can make your latte?"

ROUND 4: 7 BREW — THE NEW KID

And entering from the corner...

7 BREW!

The newcomer specializes in the drive-thru beverage model, with coffee joined by drinks such as teas, energy drinks, smoothies and lemonades at its locations.

That could make the new Oneida location especially attractive to younger customers and anyone who believes coffee should contain enough flavor combinations to require its own instruction manual.

7 Brew also has one huge advantage:

It's new.

And if there's one thing people love doing when a new business opens, it's sitting in a drive-thru line for 40 minutes so they can tell everyone afterward:

"The line was ridiculous."

SO WHO WINS?

Dunkin’ has loyalty.

McDonald’s has breakfast.

The Blend has the hometown crowd.

7 Brew has the excitement of being the newcomer.

But there may actually be another winner:

Coffee drinkers.

Competition usually means more choices, businesses working harder for customers and enough caffeine options on Genesee Street to keep the entire City of Oneida awake until sometime around 2029.

One thing is certain:

When 7 Brew opens, The Great Oneida Coffee War will officially be underway.

The only question left is...