McDonalds sales way down what are they doing wrong?

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

A meal off of McDonald's menu board averages $7-$8.
Directly next door to it is a rather nice Japanese restaurant that serves lunch specials:

Sashimi lunch: 12 pc sashimi: $10
Sushi Lunch: 5 pc sushi: $8
Hibachi platter or bento box w/ choice of chicken, beef, salmon, tofu, jumbo shrimp: $8
-All come with salad, soup, and a california roll.

I'd much rather spend my $8-$10 on one of the above than $7-$8 a box of fries and a bland burger.

And their cheaper stuff (McDouble, McChicken) is just plain awful.

I was thinking of Japanese food too. I can buy bentos for the same price I could eat at McDs, and the food is 1. healthier, 2. tastes better, and 3. more filling.

Not only does McD's charge crazy high prices for the lowest possible quality food they can serve you, but they also screw their employees, by paying them next to nothing and giving them zero benefits.

Corporate greed is killing McD's the same way it is killing Walmart.

[tjasse]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

Unless you're eating off the dollar menu or have coupons, it's really no cheaper than the competitors. You can also get discounts and dollar menus most everywhere else.

Sure, but it's no more expensive than BK or Arbys, either.
it's cheaper than "better" fast food places like Chipotle and Culver's where people go instead.
I also wonder where people live that it costs 8 dollars. Here in MN a big mac meal is $5.69.

[revelated]

Originally Posted by tjasse

All the people saying mcdonalds is too expensive makes me fear that the US middle class really has vanished.

It's not that. Blame the mobile phone/mobile app era. See, people don't have their priorities straight, and it's mostly the US.

• "These prices are soo high!!! Drop them!!!" (Company creates an inexpensive dollar menu)
• "These prices are still too high!!! I can buy this stuff at a store for cheaper!!!!"

All people want is to spend pennies on something that has more value. They don't understand that it's not just parts. It's the same with airline tickets - I get so upset at people that scramble for the $200 plane tickets where the most you can expect are some pretzels, a soda and the privilege of being allowed to swipe your card for an overpriced lunch box if you didn't stop at the overpriced food court before boarding. That's assuming TSA didn't do a second check and grope you and take it from you at the gate.

Versus First Class where all of that is included, plus more comfortable seats, for more money.

I actually don't care if people want to deal with lackluster experience and aren't willing to pay for quality. What bothers me is people complaining when the price drops and thus does the quality. You're getting what you paid for.

It also bothers me when people complain that something is overpriced when economically speaking, it's a minor difference in price. But people expect McDonalds not to make any profit - that things should just be given away, lay off all the high school punks trying to get some work experience, etc. Just a free for all because of course, businesses trying to profit = bad.

Yet, Five Guys gets praised, and you can't GET more overpriced than Five Guys. Well, except maybe Red Robin.


Take Felix C below, for example.

Originally Posted by Felix C

Comparing today in the Winn Dixie flyer: 2 dozen large eggs for $2.99
Buy one get one free Thomas' English muffins for $4.49 16total
3lb bacon smithfield thickcut for $9.99 (cannot stand sausage.) about 20slices

each egg is $0.13
each muffin is $0.28
each slice of bacon is $0.50
total $0.91
Cripey I could eat all work week for $5.00 making it at home and taking it to go compared to $15 for the Golden Arches.

Of course I recall Pops would mark food up 3x and 4x from base cost in his restaurant but he was not paying retail as above he was paying Foodservice prices.

And I can't STAND when people do this to justify being cheap.

Not counting:

• The cost of electricity, because of course, you have to actually cook the stuff
• The cost of gas to go and pick the stuff up because of course, they won't just fly to your house. Unless you get delivery at home which of course costs money
• tax (in those states it applies, because in some it does), because of course some states like taxes
• cooking oil of whatever kind (because you CANNOT fry or scramble eggs without some kind of oil or butter or something), throw that in there
• The time to prepare which for you is likely 3X longer than the time for a "fast food" restaurant to make it, unless they're swamped
• Cost of water, because you really should be washing those eggs AND your hands before preparing food
• Cost to run the toaster OR the griddle OR whatever else you're going to use on that English muffin
• Cost for the paper towels/napkins
• Depending on the state they may charge you for a paper bag because of course, plastic bags are bad

With the exception of the time to prepare, all of those are quantifiable costs that collectively, get you fairly close to what McDonalds is charging. Saying it's less than a dollar to make it yourself is a myth. Or a lie, depending on how honest you are with your self.

If your state taxes store bought foods, you're well over the $1.50 range for a sandwich. Add up the rest and you're over $2 for that sandwich.

Time to prepare = lost money because you're not off doing something else more productive. While not directly quantifiable, there IS a cost to it, that varies from person to person. If it takes me 15 minutes to make a good sandwich from scratch, that's 15 minutes I'm not working. If I made $60k/year, that's $7.80 wasted.

So instead of paying McDonalds $1+tax for a Sausage McMuffin, or $4+tax for an Egg McMuffin with bacon, you're choosing to pay anywhere from $1.50 to over $9. That's fine. But I question the statement that McDonalds is "overpriced" when you account for the OTHER things that go into food preparation besides just the groceries.

[Felix C]

Originally Posted by revelated

It's not that. Blame the mobile phone/mobile app era. See, people don't have their priorities straight, and it's mostly the US.

• "These prices are soo high!!! Drop them!!!" (Company creates an inexpensive dollar menu)
• "These prices are still too high!!! I can buy this stuff at a store for cheaper!!!!"

All people want is to spend pennies on something that has more value. They don't understand that it's not just parts. It's the same with airline tickets - I get so upset at people that scramble for the $200 plane tickets where the most you can expect are some pretzels, a soda and the privilege of being allowed to swipe your card for an overpriced lunch box if you didn't stop at the overpriced food court before boarding. That's assuming TSA didn't do a second check and grope you and take it from you at the gate.

Versus First Class where all of that is included, plus more comfortable seats, for more money.

I actually don't care if people want to deal with lackluster experience and aren't willing to pay for quality. What bothers me is people complaining when the price drops and thus does the quality. You're getting what you paid for.

It also bothers me when people complain that something is overpriced when economically speaking, it's a minor difference in price. But people expect McDonalds not to make any profit - that things should just be given away, lay off all the high school punks trying to get some work experience, etc. Just a free for all because of course, businesses trying to profit = bad.


Take Felix C below, for example.




And I can't STAND when people do this to justify being cheap.

Not counting:

• The cost of electricity, because of course, you have to actually cook the stuff. True and I cook it the way I want too which has a value all its own.
• The cost of gas to go and pick the stuff up because of course, they won't just fly to your house. Unless you get delivery at home which of course costs money. Have to go to Mickey D's 20x for every one trip to the grocery story as shown in the scenario above as well tough guy.
• tax (in those states it applies, because in some it does), because of course some states like taxes Not here.
• cooking oil of whatever kind (because you CANNOT fry or scramble eggs without some kind of oil or butter or something), throw that in there. You can poach eggs and well I do not like bacon in any case. it was only an example. But of course the eggs and the bacon can cook together as they are often done ala Old School
• The time to prepare which for you is likely 3X longer than the time for a "fast food" restaurant to make it, unless they're swamped. Likely for you but not for me.
• Cost of water, because you really should be washing those eggs AND your hands before preparing food. Water is cheap here in Miami. I pay $15 per month and waste it like a king. I believe that is $15 for about 200 gallons per day x 30.
• Cost to run the toaster OR the griddle OR whatever else you're going to use on that English muffin. I do not have to toast the english muffins at all. But since you mentioned this I spend less than$90 per month on elecricity with numerous appliances, big screen tv, 2600sf house, ballin like a ***** because I save my dough and do not eat trash food.
• Cost for the paper towels/napkins I have to amortize the cost of Costo 4-pack jumbo paper towel for you?
• Depending on the state they may charge you for a paper bag because of course, plastic bags are bad. No charge here. Live in a Free State.-now you are getting desperate and stupid.

With the exception of the time to prepare, all of those are quantifiable costs that collectively, get you fairly close to what McDonalds is charging. Saying it's less than a dollar to make it yourself is a myth. Or a lie, depending on how honest you are with your self.

If your state taxes store bought foods, you're well over the $1.50 range for a sandwich. Add up the rest and you're over $2 for that sandwich.

Time to prepare = lost money because you're not off doing something else more productive. While not directly quantifiable, there IS a cost to it, that varies from person to person. If it takes me 15 minutes to make a good sandwich from scratch, that's 15 minutes I'm not working. If I made $60k/year, that's $7.80 wasted.

So instead of paying McDonalds $1+tax for a Sausage McMuffin, or $4+tax for an Egg McMuffin with bacon, you're choosing to pay anywhere from $1.50 to over $9. That's fine. But I question the statement that McDonalds is "overpriced" when you account for the OTHER things that go into food preparation besides just the groceries.

There is nothing really I hate in this world as that is too strong of a wasted emotion but stupid people like the attitude shown above with weak arguments against my example post are worthy of inclusion in the tsk-tsk list. Fellow forgot aspects such as quality and attention to details while preparing unless one is content to act as an animal and just stuff themselves with food which is what this poor deluded fellow is advocating as preferable.

[AndyAMG]

I really do not get the Chipotle craze. I mean it's okay, but millennial are just obsessed with it. And I don't buy how healthy it is.

We built the burrito my buddy claimed was only "600, maybe 800 calories" in the online nutrition thing. It came out to 1715 calories with chicken. Try it, look up a fully loaded chicken burrito. The Guac alone adds 230 calories. The tortilla 300. If you have barbacoa or Carnitas it can push up to 2000 caloires for a burrito. Even soft corn chicken tacos come in around 1200-1500.

[LifeIsGood01]

Originally Posted by Felix C

There is nothing really I hate in this world as that is too strong of a wasted emotion but stupid people like the attitude shown above with weak arguments against my example post are worthy of inclusion in the tsk-tsk list. Fellow forgot aspects such as quality and attention to details while preparing unless one is content to act as an animal and just stuff themselves with food.

I agree, people who want us to feel bad for McDonalds because they have expenses. Well the expenses are spread over a month. It's not like they pay $1000 a day for electric. Plus they can serve 3 customers or more on the inside and now have double drive thus to order. Which is another stupid thing. the ordering is not what takes long, it's getting the food that takes long, they should retrofit places to get a 3rd window instead.

Food costs are incredibly low when you buy so much in bulk. I'm sure they are lower than I can imagine. I know I can buy frozen hash browns in a package of 10 for $2. I can buy a 20 pack and they are cheaper. I bet McD pays 5 cents for them and charges $1 or more.

I remember when they had the big and tasty for $1 for many months. It was just a quarter pounder with cheese basically. They weren't losing money on it, plus most people were buying fries or a soda too which have huge profit margins.

McD is also spending millions of dollars in advertising, and you don't even know what the commercial is about until the end,they don't mention food. Corporations are getting greedier and cheaper and want people to feel sorry for them.

[Robertfchew]

Originally Posted by AndyAMG

I really do not get the Chipotle craze. I mean it's okay, but millennial are just obsessed with it. And I don't buy how healthy it is.

We built the burrito my buddy claimed was only "600, maybe 800 calories" in the online nutrition thing. It came out to 1715 calories with chicken. Try it, look up a fully loaded chicken burrito. The Guac alone adds 230 calories. The tortilla 300. If you have barbacoa or Carnitas it can push up to 2000 caloires for a burrito. Even soft corn chicken tacos come in around 1200-1500.

Because if they can make something trendy the masses will always go to it and blow it out of proportion how good it is. Chipotle is pretty good, Panera is alright but people would have you thinking it's mind blowing once in a lifetime food experience.

My ultimate pet peeve is sushi, I honestly believe people go out of their way to pretend to like it cause its trendy. Ive tried it from so many places and it is flat out disgusting. Just cause it looks cool doesn't mean its good. It stinks tastes horrible not filling and overpriced. But you know people will do whatever they think is hip.

[LifeIsGood01]

Originally Posted by Robertfchew

My ultimate pet peeve is sushi, I honestly believe people go out of their way to pretend to like it cause its trendy. Ive tried it from so many places and it is flat out disgusting. Just cause it looks cool doesn't mean its good. It stinks tastes horrible not filling and overpriced. But you know people will do whatever they think is hip.

I used to not like sushi either, and I don't like all kinds,. My favorite is California roll because it is made with Krab and is not raw. I actually learned to make my own at home, the most expensive ingredient is the nori which is the seaweed sheets.

It is filling because it is mostly rice. But it is overpriced. In the rolls they use as much fish as the size of a peanut M and M, so guess how many of those there are to a pound of fish.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by vanguardisle

News report shows very disappointing sales posted recently by Mcdonalds all over the world not just in the US. The new ceo is now taking control and maybe things will change . What do you think they are doing wrong ? What can they do better? Is Mcdonalds simply going downhll?

McDonalds has to reinvent themselves. They are tailor-made for the 1950's, when Interstates were partially built and motorists were forced onto secondary roads for intervals. And for when travel by auto was a relative novelty.

The age of the tail-fin cars is long gone. McDonalds has a role, but as pointed out above where they are 24/7 and have play areas.

[xS☺B☺s]

Kinda a no brainer - people are eating healthier these days. I love to eat at McD and my kid loves to play there. They do everything right - comfortable environment, wifi, kid friendly, no rush, clean, you can always use the bathroom, best prices, EXCEPT - healthy food! Of course they offer a tasteless iceberg lettuce salad, but I'd rather just not eat honestly.

Add some tasty healthy food McD.

The other thing is perhaps McD is just saturated (pun not intended) the market. Worldwide for chriisakes! At some point people are going to have their fill of burgers which were novel in 1950.