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Offline DCPatriot

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What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« on: April 24, 2015, 07:44:37 pm »
What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
Apr 24, 10:13 AM (ET)

By CANDICE CHOI

NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to McDonald's, everyone seems to have an opinion about what the company needs to do differently.

After turning in another quarter of sliding sales and profit, McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook said the chain will unveil initial details on a plan to turn around its fortunes on May 4. Among the challenges it is facing are intensifying competition and an image for serving junk food that it just can't seem to shake.

Already this year, McDonald's has given a nod to the "clean label" trend with a simplified grilled chicken recipe, and announced plans to curb the use of antibiotics in raising chickens. In March, it also hosted a "Turnaround Summit" for franchisees in the U.S.

The company isn't providing specifics on what will be revealed in May. But McDonald's is one of those names that elicit strong opinions from all corners — and many of them conflict:

SERVE EGG MCMUFFINS AROUND THE CLOCK

McDonald's recently began testing an all-day breakfast menu in San Diego, and some are already calling on the company to take it national.

John Gordon, a restaurant industry analyst, said it's just one way McDonald's could start increasing customer visits to stores, given the enormous popularity of its breakfast menu.

For now, most McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. serve breakfast until about 10:30 a.m. In the test, McDonald's is only serving select breakfast items.

more at:  http://apnews.myway.com/article/20150424/us--mcdonalds-turnaround_ideas-c9aa7a838a.html

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Offline DCPatriot

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2015, 07:45:28 pm »
MELT THE CHEESE!     :whistle:


I recall the days when McDonalds demanded that food such as french fries be discarded and tossed in the garbage if they remained under the heat lamps for so-many minutes.

Their restaurants...not all....have filthy restrooms and hardly anybody behind the counter can speak fluent English.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2015, 07:48:48 pm by DCPatriot »
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"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline Relic

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2015, 07:59:42 pm »
McDonald's suffers from a condition that struck a few shopping malls in my area. You see, once the protected minority decides that a particular mall is their home away from home, it becomes an unbearable place. So, the minority in question, would overrun a particular mall, and drive out most of the other potential customers. Since the minority in question tended to steal and vandalize more than buy, those malls went out of business. They just plowed one under a couple months ago, and the mall currently favored by the minority in question is failing.

McDonald's is favored by this minority. I'll let you do the maf.
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Offline EC

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2015, 08:00:19 pm »
Fix the burgers. They are dry, sad and tasteless.
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Offline aligncare

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2015, 08:16:22 pm »
What do they want from these people? Their new premium wraps are totally excellent, fries are wonderful, fish sandwich is great; and when you've only got a few bucks in your pocket, their dollar menu is a lifesaver. Good food served fresh, hot and delicious.
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Offline ABX

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2015, 08:19:19 pm »
McDonalds has two major problems.
1. Their food is on par with school cafeteria food. While their competitors keep improving, they have stuck to the model of keeping things mostly the same for the past 30 years. It was fine 30 years ago, but with more and more competition and people eating out more and more, they have not innovated their menu much. If anything, food we ate as a kid seems bland and stale to adults. American's palates are also changing, expecting spicier, fresher, more flavorful food. Worse, they have been raising their prices while not improving their product. I know when I have to drive through some place for a quick lunch to take back to work and I see BK, Wendy's, McDonalds, and others within a block, there is nothing appealing about what McDonalds offers to make me choose them.

2. Their marketing and mascots now seem to have come out of a Steven King novel. Just like their menu, it hasn't improved in 30 years, and if anything, that stale look is becoming creepy. Even BK and Jack in the Box have played off a parody of their old characters. Wendy's has actually capitalized on their spokes-character getting a hot actress to do their commercials. If you are watching a commercial or thinking about a mascot for a company, which leave a positive impression in  your mind?
or
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Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2015, 10:15:09 pm »
Quote from: DCPatriot on April 24, 2015, 07:45:28 pm
MELT THE CHEESE!     :whistle:


I recall the days when McDonalds demanded that food such as french fries be discarded and tossed in the garbage if they remained under the heat lamps for so-many minutes.

Their restaurants...not all....have filthy restrooms and hardly anybody behind the counter can speak fluent English.

Faced with that, I'd never eat in West Virginia again no matter how bad I was jonesing for a Big Mac.
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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2015, 10:47:12 pm »
Every time McDonald's raises their prices, they decrease the size of the burgers and fries. (yes, the count the number of fries you get) They all do this, but McDonald's is the worst. Granted, I am a large guy, not fat, but big, and I could eat a so called "Big Mac" on a toothpick. It would several of them to make meal for me.

If any of us went back in time to the 80s, we would be astounded at how large the burgers were. A double whopper in the 80s was g*ddam meal. It was delicious and huge. They are still good today, but with all the regulations on fat, and lard, and sugar, etc., the taste only similar to what it once was.

But yeah, for me, the portions have become ridiculous and not worth the price. Instead of paying $10 for a burger meal, I can go to an all you can eat buffet for the same price and eat until I pop.
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Offline alicewonders

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2015, 11:32:24 pm »
McDonald's used to have the best fries in town - hands down.  They used to fry them in beef tallow and I couldn't eat enough of them.  I can't stand them now.  I don't know what they fry them in now, probably some "healthy" vegetable oil - did you know that "healthy" vegetable oils like canola (rapeseed), soybean, corn oil and others have heavy amounts of pesticide residue, are oxidized due to the process they are manufactured - and we won't even go there to talk about hydrogenated and trans fats.  Beef tallow - it's delicious and cholesterol and saturated fats are essential for human health!

But I digress.  The fries are only part of the story.  The primary reason I even go through a McDonald's drive-thru at all is because their food is simple enough to eat while I am driving.  Yes!  When I am busy or running late, I can get a cheeseburger and eat it on the way.  Try doing that with a Whopper - you'll be wearing mayonnaise and tomato when you get to your destination.

I love the quarter pounder, and although they still call it a quarter pounder - it's not as big as it used to be.   :shrug:

That said - I do enjoy their breakfast items, but the portions are getting smaller while the prices are getting higher.

I would tell McDonalds to forget about being the "healthy" food place - I'll eat at home when I'm worried about healthy food - but go back to making delicious food in portion sizes that are satisfying.  I won't mind paying a little more to feel full. 

Also - FOR GOD'S SAKE - train your employees to not screw up EVERY single order I get there.  Don't give me real Coke when I order diet - I'm diabetic!  Fill the cup more than two inches from the top with Diet Dr Pepper - I know it foams up excessively - SO DO YOU!  Stop pretending you didn't know you gave me only half a cup when I ask you to please top it up - I'm paying almost two dollars for that half a cup of soda!!!!!!  Don't leave out part of my order!!!!

Sorry, I don't mean to get carried away.   :laugh:

Oh, and yeah - melt the damn cheese!

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Offline massadvj

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Re: What could McDonald's do to fix its business?
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2015, 01:34:58 am »
Quote from: alicewonders on April 24, 2015, 11:32:24 pm
I would tell McDonalds to forget about being the "healthy" food place - I'll eat at home when I'm worried about healthy food - but go back to making delicious food in portion sizes that are satisfying.  I won't mind paying a little more to feel full. 

Oh, and yeah - melt the damn cheese!

I have a PhD in marketing, so obviously my opinion on this is better than everyone else's.  :pondering:

I agree with Alice.  McDonald's needs to go back to being greasy and decadent, and forget about the healthy menu items and the rest.  No other company in the world can deliver food on a per calorie basis as cheaply as McDonald's.  That's the company's competitive advantage, and that is what the company should be leveraging.
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