McScrewing up, or how McDonald's has lost the plot
The lady in front of me muttered something inaudible, which sounded a bit like 'choozeburger weldun', but which in fact turned out to be 'cheeseburger, well done'. This had the order clerk at my local McDonald's utterly confounded, used as she was to much more familiar requests such as, 'one Quarter Pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal', or 'a McChicken Sandwich with fries to go'. The good lady, my fellow customer with the lousy diction, must have got confused, imagining herself to have wandered into a branch of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Byron, or Honest Burger. You don't get your burgers customised in such an exotic way at McDonald's, never have done as far as I can recall, although perhaps Mickey D's did cook to order way back in 1973 when I had my first Big Mac in Los Angeles in the US of A. Whatever they did to their burgers back then I just recall my 10 year old self being overawed by an enormous and very tasty meal which, as hard I might chomp, simply couldn't be devoured.
These days McDonald's is, by my estimation, a pretty sorry affair. The service is impersonal (you can order your food Argos style from a giant computer screen and simply collect your meal, having been given a serving number) and the food is even more unappealing. The trouble with McDonald's food nowadays is that you can see the adolescent burger technicians slapping together the burgers in front of you, so you just know how lacklustre the food will be, even before your sorry fare arrives.
McDonald’s is struggling to ward off the rise of ritzy burger restaurants. Customers line up to eat at fashionable food outlets such as Patty & Bun, where the meals are served to smart, middle-class types. Meanwhile, McDonald's is left to serve lazy sad sacks like me, shift workers and OAPs who can't be fagged to cook.
McDonald's is, I believe, suffering from a fairly conventional form of brand malaise. In short, they've forgotten how to deliver on their core business, and have instead tinkered with 'innovations' such as salads and barista-made 'quality' coffee.
It's time for the Golden Arches to revisit the vision of the man who started the empire, Ray Kroc, a chap who had a passion for perfection, and a desire to serve simply, quality food.
Programme / Project Director - Special Projects, Consultant, Advisor to CEOs, Coach, Mentor and Volunteer
9 年Wouldn't know, don't use it, and I dare say, based on your comments, it looks like few others do so to. I think the issue is that many restaurants, food and coffee bars are either part of a group or a chain. These are themselves driven by fashion or celebrity. The good news is that there is still an opportunity in this space for good local / independent outlets - they just have to work differently at their marketing. Good old fashion PR using new channels comes to mind......