How to make McDonald's work

[Joanne212]

How to make McDonald's work?

Call me crazy, but I thought McDonald's works just fine the way it is. Massive mainstream appeal... cheap... financially successful... lines out the door in every foreign country outpost... McDonald's is the fast food industry innovator.

If my business "worked" like this, I'd surely be one rich happy camper!

[Jason Perlow]

How to make McDonald's work?

Call me crazy, but I thought McDonald's works just fine the way it is. Massive mainstream appeal... cheap... financially successful... lines out the door in every foreign country outpost...  McDonald's is the fast food industry innovator.

If my business "worked" like this, I'd surely be one rich happy camper!

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I agree, for as much as we hate the place, they are making money hand over fist. I wouldn't change a thing if I was the current CEO.

Now Burger King, thats another story. They are now in great danger of becoming #3 behind Wendys in terms of market position and profit, and they are losing more ground every day. They also are losing qualitative control over their franchises -- click here to read about how one of their major franchise owners went bankrupt and had to sell 226 restaurants. If I was CEO of Burger King, I would actually take an aggressive stance and implement some of the suggestions on this thread Holly has suggested for Mcdonalds -- simplified menu, better quality product, etc, to differentiate from Mcdonalds and Wendys.

[ghostrider]

Now Burger King, thats another story. They are now in great danger of becoming #3 behind Wendys in terms of market position and profit, and they are losing more ground every day. They also are losing qualitative control over their franchises --

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Did that happen before or after they started airing those creepy "The King" commercials? Which I know have been discussed at length here.

My guess is before, those ads smacked of desperation.

[Jason Perlow]

Burger King has been losing a lot of ground for at least the last 2 years, maybe as much as 5.

[jongchen]

You'll end up with a fast food restaurant that in its way is as well run and as committed to service and quality as any five star french restaurant.  And you'll end up with a fast food restaurant with lines out the door and around the building just like it used to be back in the '60s.

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There is a pretty good local chain in the Northern Virginia (Five Guys) area that makes good burgers. Not to the lofty standards that you've laid out. But they are good. I don't eat fast food burgers often (one of my friends ruined me, he makes burgers that puts everything I've had in resturants to shame) but if I want one I go to five guys. I don't remember the last time I went into McDonalds other than to use their restrooms.

Five Guys only sells burgers, fries and hotdogs. All burgers are are made to order and it appears that they don't put it on the grill till you order it. The fries are all hand cut. Depending on what you mean by that. It looks like they have a big machine on the wall that you put a potato in and pull a lever resulting in fries coming out the bottom. It appears that the fries are twice fried. Well at least I seem them move the fries from one deep fryer to another. I'm assuming that the fryers are at different temperatures. If not what's the point? Five guys is always busy. And there is always a lengthy wait for food. Probably looking at around 10-15 minutes minimum between ordering and getting your food. They do provide free peanuts (in shells) by the case in the waiting area for you to munch on while you wait. They appear to be doing well as they are opening new locations. Other than the lengthy wait one of my compaints is that their french fries vary greatly in quality. They don't have one of those fancy totally automated deep fryers that some McDonalds has. So depending on the skill of the person working the deep fryer you get either under cooked fries, over cooked fries or something in between but not ideal. But when they get the fries right it's some of the best I've had.

[iamthestretch]

There is a pretty good local chain in the Northern Virginia (Five Guys) area that makes good burgers.  Not to the lofty standards that you've laid out.  But they are good.    I don't eat fast food burgers often (one of my friends ruined me, he makes burgers that puts everything I've had in resturants to shame) but if I want one I go to five guys.  I don't remember the last time I went into McDonalds other than to use their restrooms.

Five Guys only sells burgers, fries and hotdogs.  All burgers are are made to order and it appears that they don't put it on the grill till you order it.  The fries are all hand cut.  Depending on what you mean by that.  It looks like they have a big machine on the wall that you put a potato in and pull a lever resulting in fries coming out the bottom.  It appears that the fries are twice fried.  Well at least I seem them move the fries from one deep fryer to another.  I'm assuming that the fryers are at different temperatures.  If not what's the point?  Five guys is always busy.  And there is always a lengthy wait for food.  Probably looking at around 10-15 minutes minimum between ordering and getting your food.  They do provide free peanuts (in shells) by the case in the waiting area for you to munch on while you wait.  They appear to be doing well as they are opening new locations.  Other than the lengthy wait one of my compaints is that their french fries vary greatly in quality.  They don't have one of those fancy totally automated deep fryers that some McDonalds has.  So depending on the skill of the person working the deep fryer you get either under cooked fries, over cooked fries or something in between but not ideal.  But when they get the fries right it's some of the best I've had.

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jongchen's example is interesting, because Five Guys is right now at the point at which many good concepts go off the road. After expanding slowly in the DC area, opening just four outlets over the course of two decades staffed by the titular bunch of brothers who started it all, they recently decided to go regional and are franchising as fast as they can through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Delaware. Word is that more than 100 new locations are planned.

The big question, of course, is will the burgers stay good? There's been some rumblings already about quality slipping as the focus widens, but personally I haven't noticed it. Then again, I mostly eat at the original locations anyway. You do have to give Five Guys credit for 10 big stones though; their first store was right between a McDonalds and a Wendys and they recently opened up a new one directly across the street from the Mickey D's at Howard University, which someone told me was one of the highest-grossing in the country.

Edited November 1, 2004 by iamthestretch (log)

[ghostrider]

10 big stones LOL.

Best fast food fries I've ever had were from Ranch One, an NYC chcken sandwich fast food chain. Totally crisp & brown, never soggy. Hand cut? Who knows, who cares, it's the crunch & the taste that matters.

Not sure if the chain is still in biz tho, the branch I used to eat at had closed last time I walked by.

[Jason Perlow]

10 big stones LOL.

Best fast food fries I've ever had were from Ranch One, an NYC chcken sandwich fast food chain.  Totally crisp & brown, never soggy.  Hand cut?  Who knows, who cares, it's the crunch & the taste that matters. 

Not sure if the chain is still in biz tho, the branch I used to eat at had closed last time I walked by.

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The Ranch 1 fries are excellent, but my two current favorites have to be the Chick Fil A waffle cut fries and Nathan's Famous crinkle cut fries.

[laniloa]

The Ranch 1 fries are excellent, but my two current favorites have to be the Chick Fil A waffle cut fries and Nathan's Famous crinkle cut fries.

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Nathan's are my favorite. My mom and I make a pilgrimage whenever I go back to NY to visit my parents. We linger around the counter until we see a well done batch coming out of the fryer.