
McDonald’s Seeks Its Fast-Food Soul - dap
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/business/mcdonalds-seeks-its-fast-food-soul.html
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brianwillis
I spent five years working for McDonald's, and I'll say that I've never worked
for a company before or since that was so easily distracted and unfocused. The
general philosophy from head office seemed to be "everything is always a
priority all the time". There was never any sense of what truly mattered, and
there wasn't a clear vision for the future of the company.

I'd speculate the reason for this is that when you're insulated by the sheer
volume of money that McDonald's was back in the 80's and early 90's, you're
effectively living in a world without scarcity. As a company, they've never
really been forced to make difficult choices, and haven't developed the
ability to do so. Instead, they just choose everything, and hope that if they
throw enough mud maybe some of it will stick.

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smelendez
The bit on wait times is really interesting. I don't go to McDonald's very
often--maybe four or five times a year--but I've noticed that a lot of their
restaurants don't have good ways to handle customers waiting for their food,
which leads to people awkwardly hanging around the registers and makes it
unclear when the next customer should step up, etc. It also seems to vary from
franchise to franchise: is there a Starbucks-style place to pick up your
orders, or do you have to stand right by the place where they took your order?

I think Five Guys handles the situation more like a pizza or Chinese
restaurant: they take your name or give you a number and call you up when your
food is ready. And at Chipotle or Subway and a lot of newer fast food places,
they just shepherd you through the process until you pay and eat.

I wonder if McDonald's "linger-around-the-register" system is a relic of when
they could turn meals around quicker.

Also, their restaurants just seem less well-maintained than those of their
newer competitors--maybe because the same number of employees now spend more
time prepping food and less time cleaning and changing flickering fluorescent
bulbs--and the seating areas are that much less pleasant.

That has to mean a decent amount of lost business: people who will happily
join business colleagues for a quick lunch at Chipotle probably wouldn't
suggest McDonald's, families don't want to relax on the way home from wherever
at a place with ketchup smeared all over the tables, and their periodic pushes
into "treat yourself" coffee drinks and desserts are hard to take seriously
when the restaurants just aren't pleasant to be in.

~~~
djloche
Maybe I've just had incredible luck at the locations I've been to ( West Coast
& Mountain states in the USA ), but my experience has been much different.

McDonalds seem to be remodeling their dining areas - most of the locations
I've been to in the past 2 years have been updated to feel closer to a
'Starbucks' atmosphere than a 'fast food' one.

As far as the queueing - even before the remodels, they've printed a customer
number on your receipt and call out your number when your food is ready. If it
isn't busy, the person at the register just brings your food to you instead.

I think for 'to go' orders made inside at the register - whether you're at
Five Guys, In N Out, or McDonalds, people will stand around waiting for their
food. If you go during a main meal rush, there might be some confusion - but
everyone standing around waiting for their food is usually polite enough to
answer the question "are you in line?" with "Oh, I already ordered. Go right
ahead." or "The line for ordering is over there."

I work remotely - the remodeled McDonalds are pleasant and clean enough of an
environment that I'll go there to work if I'm having connectivity issues at
home.

~~~
eitally
Also worth noting is that the remodeled McD's have free wifi and premium
coffee & espresso drinks, and the ones around me also have had electric car
charging stations added.

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somberi
In India, McD is "Luxury-cool-young" food. It has to be seen to be believed,
the amount of young people that flock McDs here. The food is neither cheap nor
expensive. They have some unique variations - grilled Paneer (ala Haloumi)
sandwich, etc. And the service is fast-ish but not under-a-minute fast.

And they are pushing the service norms for the better. For an outsider and an
Indian alike, their trained-earnestness may come off gimmicky but the core
lessons are good in a country where service can use many doses of improvement.

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brandonmenc
Vending machines. Seriously.

McDonald's core products are so assembly-line friendly that there's no need
for human hands. Every office multiplex should have a machine that spits out
Big Macs, McD's fries, and Cokes - one of the greatest flavor combinations
ever concocted.

~~~
duaneb
The problem with vending machines is the intake of fresh food. Do you really
want to eat a five month old thing of mcdonalds fries?

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
Vending machine with freezer, automated deep fryer, flattop, etc. Basically a
robotic McD's in a box.

I would love to work on that problem. Maybe I should apply to YC with it...

~~~
joezydeco
McDonald's has a technology group that already works on problems like these.
Look for patents under McD's holding company "Restraurant Technology, Inc."

[https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#tbm=pts&q=inassig...](https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#tbm=pts&q=inassignee:%22Restaurant+Technology,+Inc.%22)

(My favorite? US Design Patent #D277,235: The McRib.)

McDonald's likes to come up with these solutions and then license the patents
to the OEMs that actually produce the equipment. I've worked for some of these
OEMs in the past and McDs drives new ideas downward just as often as the OEMs
drive new things upward. But it doesn't mean those ideas are always
economically or even technically feasible when deployed to 30,000
stores...some in very remote locations.

If McDonald's had a way to start moving more into fully robotic prep-and-
assembly (more than they already are), then you would see it in the stores.
It's still too expensive and too fragile. Humans are more versatile and
cheaper.

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jinushaun
The people in this article that are still in charge of McDonald's are
clueless, which gives me no faith in a turnaround from McDonalds. Everyone
complains about the wait time (3 min is too long), but no ones brings up the
fact that people routinely wait 15+ minutes for Chipotle. The problem is not
time or price, it's quality. Give food people are willing to wait for. Anyone
who has ordered any of McDonald's so-called premium burgers will tell that
it's the same flavorless hamburger patty found in their other burgers just
served in a different bun. Not worth the wait, or the price.

IMO, the drive-through was the double edged sword that ultimately brought down
McDonald's. People in cars don't want to wait. Speeding up production lead to
lower quality. You already saw it happen with Starbucks. These articles always
reference Chipotle, and I hope Chipotle never has drive-through.

As for a solution, I never understood why McDonald's the company is required
to operate McDonald's the restaurant. Instead of turning McDonalds into
Chipotle and Starbucks, just create a new restaurant that more directly
competes. Change McDonald's restaurants to focus on core products, and offer
wraps and burritos in some other venue. Buy that company if you have to.

~~~
maxerickson
McDonald's was a relatively early (1998) and significant investor in Chipotle.

They sold their stake after the Chipotle IPO, fully exiting the position in
2008, netting about $1.2 billion.

(I remembered the investment but cribbed the details from
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipotle_Mexican_Grill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipotle_Mexican_Grill)
)

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hereonbusiness
Terrible, tasteless food largely marketed to children, ugly plastic interior,
that's the image they worked so hard to acquire all these years, isn't it?

You can't just reverse decades of marketing and customer experience by
altering the interior a bit and offering salads.

McDonalds and Burger King will always be bottom-rung establishments in my
mind.

~~~
magic_beans
At least Burger King has veggie burgers! I mean, come on McD's!

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dlu
They've been long overdue for an overhaul.

Remember when Ford kept saying, "Quality is Job #1" yet nothing they did seem
to reflect that? It seems to be just like that.

Yeah it sucks that they became and still are the fast food scapegoat, but it
really should have been a wake-up call for them

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tracker1
As a customer, I think that Carl's Jr (aka Hardies?) has done a much better
job at being what McDonald's is talking about.

They seem to have better tasting burgers, and offer their Thickburger, as well
as a Natural burger (with actual cheese). I've never noticed an excessive
wait, and appreciate that they'll "low-carb style" pretty much anything on the
menu.

Through all the industrialization of McD's through the 90's they lost me... I
think they could very well turn things around by just reverting to more of
their core menu... toasting at least the buns to order, and not trying to be
everything to everyone. They mention the McMuffin is real/whole eggs.. but
don't mention that the pancakes are pre-cooked, and the scrambled/folded eggs
come from a pre-mixed carton. Hell, they could go back to the 70's standards
and they'd probably do better... In-And-Out kicks their ass with a product
lineup that pretty much mirrors what McD's started out with.

~~~
eitally
And if you don't want a burger, Arby's has quite good deli sandwiches if
you're in a pinch. Very salty meat, but excellent bread and fresh toppings.

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bane
McDonald's did get better, and did get menu focus. The problem is that all
those franchises aren't part of the McDonald's franchise system and are called
In-n-Out Burger.

Except for the prices, the menu at an In-n-out [1] looks alarming like the
original McDonald's menu [2]

1 -
[https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/7048945907_6890107167_o....](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/7048945907_6890107167_o.jpg)

2 - [http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/5-failed-mcdonalds-menu-
items-6.j...](http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/5-failed-mcdonalds-menu-items-6.jpg)

when McD's kept their focus, they grew. Here's their menu from 1972, some 30+
years after they started
[http://cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/5112014023433.jpg](http://cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/5112014023433.jpg)

I can't even find where the beverages are on a modern McD's menu these days.

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougalug2005/3176399858/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougalug2005/3176399858/)

In-N-Out's branding [3] even looks like McDonald's 1960s logo [4]

3 - [http://typophile.com/files/In-N-
Out_Burger_6481.png](http://typophile.com/files/In-N-Out_Burger_6481.png)

4 -
[http://goodlogo.com/images/logos/mcdonalds_logo_2465.gif](http://goodlogo.com/images/logos/mcdonalds_logo_2465.gif)

Importantly, the food, when served [5], carries branding and colors through to
the product, which looks pretty much like what the marketing pictures of the
food looks like [6]

5 - [http://soupbelly.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/01/DSC_0324_thu...](http://soupbelly.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/01/DSC_0324_thumb.jpg)

6 - [http://www.wpromote.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2008/10/in-n...](http://www.wpromote.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2008/10/in-n-out-burger-fries-shake.png)

Adding in a relentless focus on quality and most of the In-N-Out burgers I've
been to have been packed with customers.

McDonald's is trapped in serving a market that grew up with their product.
Their burgers are more or less the same as the ones I remember when I grew up.
They keep adding halo items to the menu, but the burgers haven't kept up with
the times and growing competitive market. They're also trying to keep prices
artificially low, you can still walk in and get a burger for around $1.

Mcdonald's needs to figure out how to adopt and mimic the In-N-Out model as
much as In-N-Out was inspired by the McDonald's model.

~~~
jessaustin
_I can 't even find where the beverages are on a modern McD's menu these
days._

I find most fast-food menus terrible, often for this reason. Mostly I just
keep in mind what I've ordered in the past, plus whatever I might have heard
or seen advertised in the last two days, and choose one or two items from that
set.

I think the reason is that most fast food menus have little integrity. They
try to be all things. In-n-Out is an exception to this, as is Chipotle. If I'm
here, it must be because I want one of these honking giant burritos. I don't
need to look at a menu to decide between chicken and carnitas in that burrito.
If I wanted a coffee with lots of sugar and dairy added, I would go to a place
that specialized in such concoctions, thanks!

A fast food restaurant with integrity is _legible_ to the diner; there won't
be any surprises after one has eaten there a couple of times. The API is
simple. McDonald's OTOH has a complicated API.

~~~
burgreblast
> If I wanted a coffee with lots of sugar and dairy added, > I would go to a
> place that specialized in such > concoctions, thanks!

I don't necessarily disagree, but would you kill a $2B/yr product?

In 2010, McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson said coffee accounted for more than 6% of
its U.S. sales. That share may since have increased, but even 6% of the
chain’s 2013 domestic sales would be $2.15 billion.

~~~
jessaustin
Haha you're right of course. I'm not saying the illegible garish mess that
McD's has for a menu is the wrong thing for them, but I do see why more
footprint-growth-focused chains don't have that.

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ownagefool
I , in the UK, actually like the taste of a McDonald’s cheeseburger, fries and
maybe even some nuggets. It's generally a cheap and easy meal and most
locations are quick. What I don't understand is the idea that McDonald’s is
supposed to continue to grow. It's everywhere. We know what it is. We actually
quite like it. But if we eat it more, we'll likely start to die off at a rate
that's going to decrease their profits anyway.

All in all, the alarmist attitude of management might just be their downfall.

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3minus1
A few years ago I discovered the McDonald's value menu. It was a great option
on days when I was too busy to sit down for a meal--just really fast, cheap,
and decent enough quality.

I rarely see the value meal mentioned in articles about McDonalds' business. I
don't know if it's because it's not very popular or if the profit margins are
lower or what.

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jackvalentine
Statistically insignificant anecdotal observations from Australia:

When they moved to "cook on demand" I stopped going anywhere near as often.
Now instead of having my burger fries and coke 30 seconds after parting with
my money I'm often standing around 3, 4, even 5 minutes waiting.

The burgers are less consistent now, often the filling is half out of the
bread. The cheese is no longer melted by spending some time in the warmer
waiting to be ordered.

If you can't nail fast, and you can't nail consistent... what's left? Mediocre
products of wildly varying quality.

As a final observation: I never get take-away. It's always eat-in. The staff
ask "eat in or take away?" and I answer them. Perhaps 20% of the time my food
is given to me on a tray, usually they just forget(?) and give it to me in a
bag like take-away.

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Spooky23
Two things about McDonalds highlight the problem with the company: they feel
the need to tell you that burgers are in fact made out of beef, and you can't
get breakfast after 10AM.

In the mid-80s, when I was in elementary school and was the prototypical kid
hassling my parents to go to McDonalds, people actually flipped burgers, shook
some salt and garlic powder on them and put it on a toasted bun. It was hot,
greasy and delicious.

Now, a McDonalds burger is some sort of steamed monstrosity. It isn't greasy,
tastes engineered, and is usually cold upon delivery.

Cooking a 5mm thick burger on a grill is not rocket science, and every greasy
spoon on the planet can successfully put together an egg sandwich 24x7. Get
back to the basics and cook some food.

~~~
batbomb
it's 10:30 In most places. The only thing I really eat at McDonald's is the
egg mcmuffin. Actually, for whatever reason, they are the only ones to get the
simple breakfast sandwich right. At one McDonald's I went to, they start
serving breakfast at midnight(not sure if this is a decent thing), which was
amazing and I ordered an egg mcmufffin and a cheeseburger, transplanted the
patty and had a great midnight sandwich.

~~~
magic_beans
McDonald's breakfast is the best food they have. Seriously. They should just
get rid of everything else and serve breakfast 24/7.

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benWTNB
Kevin Rose recently interviewed Jamie Oliver and he had made a good point
where he talked about McDonalds in England and France using organic milk, free
range eggs, and "good pork, good beef" because of the pressure there.

Seems like the consumers will have to be the door-to-door missionaries helping
international McDonald's to find their soul…

[http://youtu.be/VMj98OncYW4?t=52m15s](http://youtu.be/VMj98OncYW4?t=52m15s)

McDonald's UK talking about it.
[http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/whatmakesmcdonalds/questio...](http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/whatmakesmcdonalds/questions/food/animal-
welfare/are-all-the-eggs-you-use-free-range.html)

