McDonald's to hand out free burritos this Thur/Fri

In a bit of brilliant marketing sure to get the McDonalds name in the press (see, it worked!) the company will be offering a free McSkillet burrito with the purchase of a drink this Thursday and Friday mornings (Feb. 28-29). The sandwich contains eggs, potatoes, cheese, salsa, onions and green peppers.

This builds on the apparent success of its Free Coffee Monday campaign last April. With a growing breakfast menu and experiments with boutique coffee, the corporation is making major inroads in pilfering the a.m. crowd from coffee-specific spots such as Starbucks and other full menu competitors such as Burger King and Wendy's.

McDonalds expects to give away around 2 million McSkillet burritos during the promotion. The sandwich packs 610 calories and 36 grams of fat, in case you care.