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McDonald's is one of the most famous brands in the world. So well known, most of us can make order choices without reference to any menu.
The chain are masters of marketing and introduce new exciting products most months. but do they always get it right?
While they generally have a good reputation and remain popular, are some cracks beginning to appear? I would argue that the offering is not as good as it used to be.
While they do many things well, my family and I have noticed over the last few years a definite downward trend. Perhaps the bad now outweighs the good.
There are of course positives that include an efficient app, points system and ability to have food delivered to you exactly as you want, whether pick up, delivery, table service etc. Variations in menu are often exciting, with new products that feature for limited periods like the double Big Mac and Philly cheese stack.
Generally speaking the staff are also pleasant. This is a massive plus and speaks highly of some of the training. But is this food juggernaut beginning to fail and need urgent attention to rectify and reverse the problems?
Increasinhly though, while you will always experience differences between branches in any chain, some failings are becoming increasingly common across all locations .
Does McDonalds even think they have an issue with consumers still flocking to their restaurants?
One of the first issues over the last few years is a degrade in the quality of the French fries. Often soggy, limp and cold. The days of getting guaranteed hot fries from the counter are long gone. I believe that is in part to quality standards not being met and fries kept to sell that should be thrown if left on the stand for more time than they should.
Service in many McDonalds is now often slow and they do not come across as organised as they once appeared. And I have witnessed this inconsistency in many of their stores.
Food orders were once perfect, with orders arriving as intended. The reality now being orders are often wrong and missing items completely. This used to be the remit of another fast food chain but has happened to us many times at McDonalds in recent years.
It was also unheard of for a McDonalds to run out of food items or particular ingredients. Today, I heard a McDonalds worker telling customers that they had run out of cheese.
Cleanliness is also a problem. Even some new McDonalds look like they need a deep clean. Staff being slow to clear and wipe tables. Then when delivering food, failing to be proactive and wipe tables with food stains and crumbs in a proactive manner. Should you really have to ask to get the table wiped down?
The last problem is the expense. A McDonalds was always a reasonable treat on the high street. A good quality meal that would cost you less than a pub meal. Nowadays they appear a more expensive option, with many food and restaurants offering food at the same price or slightly less.
And we have to talk about pricing. Are they taking advantage of the cost of living and inflating costs higher than what is reasonable? I would argue that they are. Mc Flurry's are a good example. They used to be one standard size, now they have introduced a smaller version along with the standard. The sneaky thing though is that any new McFlurry's added to the menu are classed as new product. Due to this they are then classed as a "featured" product with a 50p surcharge This I feel is particularly underhand and surely taking advantage of market conditions?
Delivery at £4 is also really expensive. Though I can understand that more and is a question of choice and convenience. But still, it wasn't that long ago that delivery was £1.99 on some apps. Though I accept this may not be totally within their control.
Pricing certainly appears higher than all the food inflation figures that are quoted as 12.2%.
My ask of McDonalds is that for their customer base, they need to start addressing poor quality and make sure that products are fit. It's commendable to phase out plastic straws but for large milkshakes I can tell you that a paper straw does not cut it, becoming bent and chewy. For the cost, you need an improved solution.
The restaurants have some serious flaws currently. This is feedback from a McDonalds fan that would like to see improved consistency of quality and service offering.
A simple google search will return back many posts querying about how expensive McDonalds is now. The more sceptical of us would argue the introduction of points and rewards has probably not helped the situation. we appear to still be paying for the rewards.
Hopefully we will be able to say "I'm Loving it" more confidently if McDonalds take action and listen to customers. Let us hope they know they have a problem.
