They say you can demand anything cheap, fast, or good, but you cannot have all three. You should get at least two. McDonald's rules the fast food world by delivering cheap food fast. Even though everyone has a favorite menu item, the quality of the food has never been groundbreaking, with the exception of fries, and only if they are eaten within 90 seconds of receiving them. But lately the prices at McDonald's are rising astonishingly fast, and people have noticed. Getting one's food fast is not enough to keep them coming back. In the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index Restaurant Study, McDonald's had the lowest satisfaction score among fat food outlets, at 69%. So what are they going to do about it?
They are planning to improve the food. We already knew about McDonald's plan to switch to cooking their onions right on the burgers, but that is just one of 50 improvements the chain plans to roll out in 2024. Global marketing director Chris Young told the Wall Street Journal, "We can do it quick, fast and safe, but it doesn't necessarily taste great. So, we want to incorporate quality into where we're at." That's a refreshingly honest statement. So McDonald's will stay fast, but since they are giving up on cheap, they are going to try to make their food worth the price. We will see when the changes go nationwide in early 2024.
(Image credit: Kenneth C. Zirkel)
