“Free coffee” is a phrase many love to hear, especially on these chilly, early spring days that still feel like winter. But the move has a motive behind it, and that is to one-up the competition in the breakfast wars.

McDonald’s has announced they’ll give customers a free cup of java during breakfast hours from March 31–April 13 at participating locations, and many see the act of generosity as a way to garner business during Taco Bell’s breakfast promotion. Taco Bell recently updated their menu to include breakfast items such as the waffle taco and the Crunchwrap, and even rolled out a new ad campaign featuring several men named Ronald McDonald who all love the new offerings.

“This is Taco Bell’s way of saying that there’s a new breakfast player in town and there’s no better way to do that than to go after the king of breakfast by market share, which is McDonalds,” said Hayley Peterson of Business Insider.

McDonald’s responded to the ads with a cheeky comment, saying they were sure their famous characters were still in love with their burgers.

“We’ve consulted with Mayor McCheese and he has confirmed that Ronald McDonald, in fact, still only chooses McDonald’s,” they said.

As for Taco Bell, they say clearly the ads are working.

“We just launched the next generation of breakfast – it’s not a two-week promotion. Clearly, our competition is taking notice and reacting,” Taco Bell said.

Image via McDonald’s