Coalition of Franchisee Associations

September 11, 2018

Is McDonald's USA Slowing Service Benefiting Competitors?

Sonic stock surges on improved traffic

From comment below, "Of course there is nobody left in McDonald’s operations who even knows that there are lines in the cups, even if they happened to notice the lines they certainly don’t know what they are for. Even if they know what they are for they don’t know why." 
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your headline says it all. Yes, McDonald's slowing service is benefiting anyone who sells food. Ironically, CEOs of other companies look like geniuses and say it's their marketing creativity, operations, and product innovation -- when they really have not done anything meaningful. they're just getting our spill over. honestly, our biggest competitor is ourselves, we're imploding. the good news is, at some point, we'll figure it out. however, it needs to be operator led and a real grass roots effort with allowing for creativity.

Anonymous said...

Sonic is benefitting because styrofoam cups are gone and Sonic has always had shaved ice. Our drink (what’s actually in the cup) quality runs circles around theirs but their variety and temperature is FAR better and our customers that are measurably gone sure went somewhere.

I wanted shaved ice in my DT, doesn’t work with ABS. I tried to put shaved ice in my lobby, was warned that McDonald’s might force removal of the machine because it’s not approved by Oak Brook. These are the same people who set the ice level at about 1/3 cup full 40 years ago. Of course there is nobody left in McDonald’s operations who even knows that there are lines in the cups, even if they happened to notice the lines they certainly don’t know what they are for. Even if they know what they are for they don’t know why.

But by God, no shaved ice.

If McDonald’s were customer obsessed, wait...they keep telling us that they ARE, we would have styrofoam cups for ALL sizes and shaved ice. Maybe even cherry/vanilla added option and it would be in the DT too. Total net sales would increase 2-4% in the south, I’d bet my business on it.

But we would rather put kiosks that everyone except for 4 year olds hate.

Easy obvious solutions to every single problem is there but they’re so busy listening to protestors with vagina hats who hate us anyway, removing stuff that my customers don’t give a crap about. They just want good, clean and fast. Nice doesn’t matter so much, just good and fast. And occasionally rainbow fry cups just to remind the world that we are politically correct.

Anonymous said...

I am getting HAMMERED by customers, saying y’all used to be fast, what happened???

My 5 Restaurants Speed was Unsurpassed by Competition and or other McDs.

There is NO way to explain to the customers that their Qtr. is in line to go down on the grill, it might be the 3rd or 4th Clam Back, So the time just continues to multiplies.

With 75% Drive Thru, A McDonald’s customer Does Not want TO:
WAIT, BE PARKED OR GET MESSY PRODUCTS (BBQ Tenders)

They Want: BLAZINGLY FAST, ACCURATE & FRIENDLY SERVICE.

McDonald’s has built a Rep. on being Fast. The customer has that Rep. cemented firmly in their head and we can not change it without PISSING them off and Chris K. Charlie R Charlie S and Bill G that is just what you are doing.

My biggest Competition “Chick-Fl-a” has made Drive Thru Speed into an art form. With 3 Drive Lanes, I-Pads, Products that are made quickly and held in a BIN. I only wish I had the ammunition to fight with speed, I would spend the money.

I would give up Fresh Beef, Slack Chicken Tenders, Salads, Signature Crafted, Streamline McCafe and probably a number of other items as well to pickup the Seconds I have given away to the competition in Speed.

I am only severing 81 customers ALL day with the Kiosks, but from 12 - 1 I am doing 155 cars through the D/T at the same restaurant. Yet we make the biggest investment in a piece of equipment that will be obsolete in a couple of years. When I am getting HAMMERED by customers, saying y’all used to be fast, what happened???.

WE ARE NOT LISTENING OUR CUSTOMERS, They are Shouting Fast and we are getting slower. I heard the other day that the McD Lab can’t even make the Standard Times. I guess they would Fail a BSV or CEV.

Anonymous said...

Bring back a bin for 10-1s and Nuggets. No brainer.
But since upper management has little or no operations experience, it will not happen !