McDonald’s
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McDonald’s, the fast food chain with a dedicated artery to Americans’ hearts, announced on Monday that it’s tweaking some things. According to a press release, the company’s “chefs have been cooking up small but tasty improvements” to the Big Mac, McDouble and classic cheeseburger, double cheeseburger and hamburger.
There are four main changes across the burger board, the biggest being the Big Mac will have more sauce. Also, “softer, pillowy buns” and cheese will be “perfectly melted.” Finally, and maybe the biggest tweak, caramelized grilled white onions are being added to patties.
Australia, Canada and Belgium have acted as test markets for these changes, which will be rolled out in the U.S. this year; some West Coast cities are already privy. A full rollout is expected by 2024.
The Hamburglar has found his second wind.
McDonald’s
How will you know when these changes have hit your market? Well, watch out for the McDonaldland character of yesteryear, the Hamburglar. His role in the company has been reprised. When you see him in local commercials, consider yourself warned.
Fries and a Large Side of Geofencing
These changes come after some significant digital upgrades from McDonald’s. Last year, the company introduced a semiautomated store near Fort Worth where customers can whip through a dedicated order-ahead lane, skipping the traditional drive-thru. There is also a room inside the restaurant for customers to place to-go orders at kiosks, and there’s a shelf for pickup orders.
The order-ahead lane uses an app feature, geofencing, to track customers as they approach the store so orders are prepared accordingly, presumably decreasing service times. This geofencing is paired with other algorithm-based factors like weather, time of day and trending purchases to tailor the suggestions customers see when they pull up to the menu board. McDonald’s knows you better than you do yourself. And maybe it’s better that way.
It’s all part of the brand’s plan to streamline services, particularly the drive-thru, which is responsible for 70% of business. Before the pandemic, while whipping through a McDonald’s drive-thru one day I asked the server how many customers the store can serve in an hour. He replied that if they’re really rolling, 100. Seems hard to beat that, but McDonald’s must know best.
Golden Loyalty
We spoke to Micah Solomon about the enduring brand loyalty to McDonald’s. Solomon has worked with Auberge Resorts, Six Flags and Walmart and is the author of Ignore Your Customers (and They’ll Go Away).
He notes that the in-restaurant dining has recently improved greatly at McDonald’s. It’s no longer just a place where exhausted parents have to mind their kids.
“They have borrowed from Shake Shack the concept of numbered tables and bringing the food to the customer and it works great,” Solomon says. It’s bringing an “adult” customer experience level that McDonald’s has lacked in the past.
“Our fascination with McDonald’s is part nostalgia, part habit, part convenience. But when you add a superior customer service experience you really get something that will have legs,” Solomon says.
He also notes that like at a luxury hotel or on your favorite yacht, the use of menus suggesting what you might like to order is a way to anticipate customers’ needs, “a pillar of great customer service.”
