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I don't buy the "everyone wants healthy food!!!" argument. Were that true, nobody would eat at the other fast food chains that are doing ok. That's too convenient an answer and smacks of arrogance.
The REAL reason McDonald's is struggling is simple. They have an identity crisis and refuse to evolve. Additionally, they refuse to compete.
The "2 Big Macs for $5" should not be a limited time offering. It should be the standard. Why? Most people who do eat the burgers there, eat Big Macs unless they're cheap "arses", in which case...
The so-called "Dollar Menu" was a critical mistake and should be done away with. Why? Because all it does is encourage people to pay the minimum possible. Burger King can get away with that because most of their good stuff isn't on their "dollar menu".
They need to STOP serving frilly drinks at the drive through. If you want your upside down mocha latte whatever, go inside and wait for it. It just ties up the drive through, they can't do it as effectively as Starbucks and never will.
START SERVING ALL DAY BREAKFAST. Most everyone who eats at McDonalds does so because the breakfast is superior in terms of fast food. Their failure to move to all-day breakfast decades after the fact is silly. Jack In The Box can do it and frankly, they have better scrambled eggs.
STOP changing up the chicken options. The Chicken Selects were great, then they discontinued them for no apparent reason, then brought them back for no apparent reason. Yet the burger menu remains unchanged except for the addition of the Triple Cheeseburger and removal of the Angus (which was arguably the best burger they had when properly tweaked). Again, Wendy's makes them look stupid.
The salad selections are a joke. Why is Wendy's making you look stupid in this regard?
The drink selections are a joke. Stop being cheap, get that machine like Five Guys and Taco Time have where you can basically make whatever drink you want.
The dessert selections are a joke.
They need to evolve. Period. It's not about having the cheapest menu or the minimal selections. It's about offering choices regardless of who is at the store AND being efficient at delivery. Right now they fail at both.
IF they did nothing else but go to all-day breakfast, their sales would skyrocket overnight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charolastra00
But for lunch or dinner? A small fry is 230 calories (a large is a whopping 500!) and they're not great. The burgers are disgusting when for a dollar or two more, you can get fresher food at a quick casual restaurant like Five Guys or Chipotle.
First off McDonald's fries are second only to Wendy's and Del Taco in terms of overall taste.
And second, did you seriously just say Five Guys is "quick"? Really? 15-30 minutes for a burger is quick to you?
I eat there very infrequently, (cant remember the last time) but when I WAS working my biggest gripe with them was you could NOT get a meal when you wanted it....BREAKFAST ONLY UNTIL 11AM (or at least that WAS the policy if not still). HELLOOOOOO!!! NOT everyone works 9-5, not everyone THINKS breakfast at 10am is the norm!!!! I use to be into work at 4:30am, and by 10am was ready for a salad or sandwich or something OTHER than breakfast!!! I think with todays schedules, there are LOTS of people put off by the fact you can not get what you want when you want it! Carl Jr, Jack in the Box, others get it and let you order what you want when you want it, why is it so different at Mickey D's??????
I don't think they are doing anything wrong - there's just a lot more competition nowadays. All the "it's not healthy" and "my refined pallet is too good for McDonalds" talk means nothing to me - I eat what I want.
In my town, in addition to the typical fast food joints, at least 10 new places have opened within the last 3-4 years...Chipotle, Qdoba, Popeyes, Firehouse, Jersey Mikes, Panera, Brixx Pizza, Showmars, Jimmy Johns, Cook Out, etc. All of these places are in the $10 or less range. My guess is that while McDonalds is among the cheapest, people are willing to spend a buck or two more for a little better food. I used to go to McDonalds quite often, but with all the options nowadays, I only stop in when it's the most convenient or I'm craving a Big Mac.
Discalimer: I once worked at a McD's in the late 90s as an "extra job" to rake in a little extra dough. AND I was not a kid...an adult working days/opening... Little is the key word. {did I eat there, too? RARELY- I actually TOOK my "lunch sandwich" of ham and cheese with lettus and tomato on quality bread, into work with me in a baggy!}
Well for one, as has been mentioned over and over, their food no longer tastes good. Tastes like cardboard.
FOr two, they are overpriced, as has been mentioned....I'd rather sit down and have a server for an $8.99 meal {even a juicy burger} at a diner than spend $7 at McD's for a cheap burger, a fried up single potato's worth, and a short non-refillable drink {at the drive through}...
FOr Three: while it MAY be a minimum wage job, I think the public is telling them to smarten up and pay better, so they are boycotting the McDs. The Walmart's of the nation had a similar problem, hence one reason why the Walmarts are raising their wages.
For four: pretty bad when their employees cannot afford to eat there too! It take an hours pay out of 4 hour shift to buy a meal there! ANd No one is allowed to even chew gum {not a bad policy, but see why} because ANYONE caught "chewing" and not in the "breakroom with a receipt" was ACCUSED of eating the food!
For five: they claim "most employees get paid more than minimum"...yeah well a nickle over the minimm is STILL minimum wage to me! ANd they can AFFORD to pay more...see # 7 below:
For six: remember the "this isn't your father's Oldsmobile"? {for those who remember Oldsmobiles} Well, this isn't the younger people's McD's, it's old folks McDs.
For Seven: they had a posting alerting emplyees to food costs: the $1 burger {no cheese} cost like $0.12 - $0.15 to make to sell. 'Restaurant industry food cost' is supposed to be about 1/4-1/3 of the retail price..at that rate the $1 burger should only cost about $0.45- $0.60 retail WITH profit already built in! SO the food IS a bit overpriced.
McDonalds actually posted a "letter" to its empoyees that made the 'net a short time ago, explaining how the worker could "make it and live" on McD's minimum wage jobs: it included NO $$ for HEAT for example, and MOST of the country will need some kind of heatduring some of the winter. There were other weird listings, AND LUDICROUS ideas, like: including "get a second job"...HOW is "getting a second job' LIVING on McD's Minimum wages? I think I might have saved a link to it somewhere, if I can find it I'll be sure to post it here!
If they improve the food, improve the wages, and their image, they MIGHT just get back up there. But I doubt they will do it.
Even as a kid, I preferred BK over McDs because at McDs, they put onions and mustard on my burger and I had to pick/scrape them off- whereas at BK I could choose just what I wanted (this was in the 70's/early 80's).
As an adult, I have never liked their burgers, and haven't had one since I was forced to by my parents when I was a kid.
I do like an occasional Egg Mc Muffin when I have an early meeting at work. And about twice a year, I get an intense craving for a Filet-o-Fish and some fries. They taste good going down, but I never feel very good after I've eaten the meal- probably because its completely unhealthy.
The Buddhists say that impermanence applies to all things - McDonald's isn't any exception.
Totally agree, Kitten. What is this love affair with mustard McDonalds (and some other burger chains as well) seem to have? A lot of people don't like it, and with condiments, once it's on your burger, you can't pick it off and simply remove the flavor like you can with most toppings like tomatoes. BK still cooks a good burger and they don't force the mustard on you. In 2015, they still cook it the way you want it. A month ago, after work on a brief Walmart stop, I was desperately hungry for dinner and found myself with no options besides eating my shirt or McDonalds. I reluctantly chose the latter route, asked for no mustard, and both small burgers had mustard on them a la Wendy's I agree with the people who mentioned serving breakfast all day long. I might actually eat there if they did. The last time I ate there before the hamburgers a month ago was probably 2008.
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I agree with the people who mentioned serving breakfast all day long. I might actually eat there if they did. The last time I ate there before the hamburgers a month ago was probably 2008.