Starbucks Now Offers Breakfast Combos, Taking After Fast Food Chains
The limited-time ‘Pairings Menu’ offers discounts on beverages and breakfast sandwiches, and start at $5 per combo.
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How much should a decent meal deal cost? If you ask the fast-food industry right now, it’s five bucks. Recently, McDonald’s announced the launch of a limited-time-only $5 combo to address consumer complaints over rising menu prices, while Burger King and KFC have also embraced the $5 (or, in the case of KFC, $4.99) price point. And while you’re probably less likely to hit up Starbucks for burgers, nuggets or fries, five dollars appears to be the magic number for the coffee chain’s new value menu, too.
Starting this week, Starbucks is launching a new, all-day Pairings Menu that bundles food and beverages together for as little as — you guessed it — $5. The cheapest deal you can score at that $5 price point is a Tall (12-ounce) hot or iced coffee or tea beverage plus a Butter Croissant.
If coffee and a croissant seem a little scant as a “meal” to you, for an extra dollar, Starbucks’ Pairings Menu gets a bit more substantial. The $6 combo includes the same 12-ounce coffee or tea beverage of your choice, but also a breakfast sandwich. Right now, Starbucks offers the following breakfast options: Sausage, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich; Bacon, Gouda & Egg Sandwich, Turkey Bacon, Cheddar & Egg White Sandwich; and the Chicken, Maple Butter & Egg Sandwich.
Keep in mind that “coffee” and “tea” here only refer to the basic hot/iced coffees (so, no cappuccinos or cold brew) and steeped or shaken teas (like green tea, passion tea and black tea), and do not include anything more complicated. I even tried ordering a Tall Misto (brewed coffee and steamed milk) with a sandwich and did not see the deal discount pop up. However, customers do have the option to upgrade drink sizes or customize their order for an upcharge.
In the fine print, you’ll also find that the Double Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich and plant-based meat Impossible Breakfast Sandwich can be ordered as a Pairings Menu combo, though those options will cost $7 each. (Unfortunately, Starbucks’ breakfast wraps and Egg Bites are not part of the Pairings Menu.) And the deals are only good for in-store/pickup orders, not delivery.
But considering Starbucks’s savory breakfast sandwiches start at just under $5 a pop anyway, it’s basically like getting a drink for a dollar or less depending on which sandwich you buy.
Finally, don’t expect these feel-good, $5 options to last. As is the case with some of its fast-food competitors’ deals, Starbucks’ Pairings Menu is only around for the summer.
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