McDonald's Giving Away Free Coffee This Month

Customers headed to McDonald's just may be able to score a free coffee throughout the month of January. The Golden Arches is showing its appreciation to healthcare workers amid the ongoing COVID-19 surge, largely sparked due to the Omicron variant, by handing out free coffee this month. The deal, however, is only available at McDonald's Canada locations.

Those eligible for the complimentary hot beverages – either a medium McCafé Premium Roast Coffee or Tea – include all frontline healthcare workers, vaccine volunteers, medical testing center and pharmacy workers as well as emergency services and military personnel. To score the deal, a valid work ID. McDonald's noted that the promotion – which initially rolled out in March 2020 and has already seen more than one million complimentary cups of McCafé Premium Roast Coffee and Tea given to healthcare workers – is being brought back "for a limited time amid the continued push for Canadians to get their vaccine or booster, alongside the ongoing challenges of treating and testing patients in the pandemic." The Golden Arches called the free coffee promotion "a simple gesture of appreciation."

"Our purpose at McDonald's is to feed and foster communities and this effort is aimed at acknowledging those who are doing so much to care for our communities right now," Gemma Pryor, Senior Director, Canada Impact Team, said in a press release. "Throughout the pandemic we saw our franchisees finding creative ways to support their communities in times of need and that's what we're seeing again here today with the free coffee offer."

The promotion is similar to promotions the Golden Arches has ran in the U.S. throughout the course of the pandemic. In the U.S., the beloved fast food chain has brought "Thank You Meals" to the menu on occasion on a limited-time basis. The Thank You Meal initiative, a play on the McDonadl's Happy Meals, was first launched during the coronavirus pandemic as a way for the Golden Arches to show their support for first responders and healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, with McDonald's giving out 12 million free Thank You Meals in 2020. McDonald's later expanded the initiative to educators. Served in a classic Happy Meal box, the breakfast Thank You Meal an entrée breakfast sandwich – choices include an Egg McMuffin, a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit, or a Sausage Biscuit – Hash Browns, and a beverage of either a medium McCafé hot or iced coffee or a medium soft drink. McDonald's last handed out Thank You Meals in October 2021.