According to CNN, McDonald’s reported a “10% drop in quarterly sales and earnings per share” this past week. Are we really surprised? With all the healthy take out food available in grocery stores these days it’s really no big surprise. McDonald’s tried the breakfast all day thing, providing calories for all of their items, but what they haven’t tried is making their menu healthier overall. I’m not really sure what they aren’t getting?
While I for one could go without every eating at McDonald’s, for 10 million and 52 reasons unknown to me, my son LOVES McDonalds. Maybe it’s because he was deprived in his youth…maybe it’s because it tastes great to him while it slowly rots his insides? Who knows. Now that he has a job, though, he gets to spend his paycheck however he pleases. And, he usually pleases to spend at least part of his paycheck on the processed craaaaap.
>What’s the appeal? A quick meal, convenience, price? What do you think McDonald’s target demographic is? People looking to stretch their dollar? Mom’s in need of an outing? Over-scheduled families looking for a quick and affordable way to feed the entire brood on their way to practice/lessons/etc.? I am just guessing…who do you think they are trying to cater to? Whoever it is, do you think McDonald’s would lose that clientele if they increased the nutritional value a smidge a ton? Would the increase in traffic make up for the lost customers who were looking for a CHEAP meal?
Just as a conversation starter, what would you do if you were the CEO of McDonald’s? How would you increase sales?
~Mavis
John says
Actually, I have read articles and watched reports showing that out of all of the fast food restaurants, McDonalds actually offers more healthy alternatives on their menu than the others. It’s all about choice, I think. If you choose to go to McDonalds and then choose the super size fries, those bad choices are all yours. You can choose grilled chicken, or a salad…..How are McDonalds sales when compared to fast food sales in general? Are they all down? I would like to think that we are becoming more aware of what we eat, so “bad for you” food sales should always be on the decline. I assume most people choose fast food for the convenience of it all. McDonalds tries to target every demographic; happy meals with toys, egg white sandwiches and lattes, greasy burger and french fries. They lead the fast food market because they have a broad appeal. I don’t think that anyone can bring fast food sales numbers back up, but maybe that’s a good thing!
Lisa Millar says
Funnily enough I am a sucker for junk food… just so glad I live too far away from it to actually eat it very often.
We probably go at most, once every couple of months (usually just before seeing a movie)(Convenient, fast and cheap enough.)
I don’t know if the menu differs a lot from here to the States, but there are a lot of salads and wraps on our menu, you can even design your own ‘gourmet’ burger, along with the availability of fruit packs for kids that you can substitute for the fries (but hey… I would be mega disappointed as a kid to be actually allowed to eat at ‘Macca’s’ but deprived of the chips!!!)
So you can get all the usual crap (me with a big mac or cheese burger) or salads and wraps (my goody goody husband lol)
lynne says
Dang…it’s the fries! Though I don’t go there often anymore, when I get a hankering for fast food, i’ll go there just to get the fries. And their cheeseburgers do wonders for a migraine…don’t ask me why, but when I get a bad migraine, I crave just a plain McD’s cheeseburger. I’ve talked to quite a few people who say the same thing.
I think people are just finally wising up…if I were CEO, I’d introduce a gluten-free option for their buns, as that seems to be the hot diet issue right now.
Lynne in MN
Ginger says
I find that the fries with some extra salt sprinkled on it (only the McDonald’s superfine salt in the packet) can help take the edge of a migraine for me if I consume it at the start of the pain. I never tried the burger during an attack, but I will in the future!
Em says
This post made me smile. Last time I had a migraine, I knew I needed to eat something, but nothing sounded good. I don’t usually eat at McD’s, but I saw one and thought I could get down some fries. I ordered and ate the fries. Then I felt better. I know the “nuggets” are not that nutritionally great, but I went back and then ate a small order of those as well. Pretty weird, right? 🙂
lynne says
not weird! I usually don’t try the fries with a migraine, just the cheeseburger & coke, but next time, i’ll go “all out” 🙂 and get the fries, too! lynne in mn
Em says
I have a migraine right now, but don’t want to leave the house. Tried a hot bath. Medicine doesn’t help me much. Any home remedy suggestions? 🙂 Luckily, I don’t get them very often.
Lisa Millar says
Poor you…. 🙁 Migraines are miserable.
I used to get them fairly regularly, but not had one for years.
I know its not helpful to say I never really found a way to stop one as it was going. I had to wait out the three days of throwing up and head pounding horror!
Two things: I went on a medication called Inderal (spelling?) which lowers blood pressure and I really noticed the dropping off of regular migraines.
I went off it suddenly after a couple of years and I seemed fine.
I also worked out what the ‘triggers’ were.
Winding down after a period of high stress was one.
Sugar binge was the other!
I truly hope you feel better soon.
AshleyAshley says
I can only guess the profitability of McDonald’s overall, but considering that what they buy never expires and what they pay is far less than what they charge (think soda for example), the amount earned from sales far exceeds the cost of the product. The company is also notoriously known for low pay for the majority of it’s employees, think part time employees. The full time management and owners however benefit nicely. So how does this work for the consumer and on the floor employees? Very little of the net gain goes to the pay of employees or the quality of the food. For the food quality to improve the gains would be less for owner operators, and they cant cut pay more, this really comes down to their willingness to improve the quality of their product, which they’re not.
What’s their demographic? People who want to eat in a pinch mostly. I can sit down at a more slow paced restaurant like Culver’s and pay the same amount of money for a better quality product and have it brought to my table, no tip needed.
McDonald’s, at least where I live, is also doing away with their playgrounds, and are instead installing computers with ‘educational’ games. I used to take my son there and have playdates there because it was shaded, and in Florida that’s a commodity for day time playtime. However, now there is no playground, some employees say the computers are to increase educational opportunity, others say it’s to avoid costly insurance for the playground liability. Anyway….there are other options that are just as good to me that have playgrounds like Chic Fil A.
Over all, I only do McDonald’s if we’re absolutely pinched for time and it’s getting late. But even that is lessening as I start to go to other drive through places with a better quality like Culver’s, PDQ, or Zaxby’s.
Deborah says
I used to drive through McD’s on crazy busy errand days when my son was young. It was convenient. I think the main reason was because he preferred it to the other drive-through options. I blame marketing. 😉 The main times I go there now is when I’m on the interstate and I need to use the bathroom. Employees there never look at you funny for hopping in to use the loo and leave without buying anything. 😛
As for demographic targeting, a few years ago I noticed the advertising took an ethnic turn. Now I think a biggie is the millennial crowd. I’d say they’ve kids/families are always on their radar.
Sometimes they really reach though, like when they offered a “romantic fine dining experience” complete with candlelight (LED, not flame), roses, soft music and a waiter. Reservations required, of course. Hysterical!
mary mcmahon says
Mavis, we stop at McD’s when traveling for coffee and bathrooms (we pack our own food) and I am floored by the number of senior citizens in there. Mary in Cincinnati
Karin C says
Hi, where I live there is a huge amount if seniors that go for the coffee and muffin as they feel it is a safe place to go as there is always someone there, it is also cheap and they love the social activity of meeting with others, they watch out for each other and check in the ones who have missed a day with out checking in with someone . This one is located by three assisted living places for seniors .
Pam says
I haven’t eaten at a McD or BK for years now. I went to Hardee’s for breakfast a few years ago (on a road trip) and their biscuit sandwich was pretty tasty (and I’m sure had a zillion calories and grams of fat). When I was a kid, fast food was a TREAT…….something you did for lunch after church on Sunday or for one of the kid’s birthday meals. It was NOT a standard fall back for a quick breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. But as consumers have started thinking of fast food as “real food”, obesity in this country has skyrocketed. I’m just speaking from personal experience but when I was 20# heavier, I was 20# LAZIER too. Which meant less meals cooked at home and more fast food. It’s just one giant loop. I’m glad to see McD’s sales drop. It tells me that consumer’s are getting smarter and taking their food dollars someplace else – hopefully with a healthier menu.
Diana says
I’m really frustrated with McDonalds and its business woes. The answer to their decreasing customer demand seems so obvious. First, offer the same menu but substitute ‘real’ ingredients for the corn syrup and other compounds added for artificial flavor and appearance. Second, drop the prices on the ‘healthy’ choices. They don’t need to charge for a serving of oatmeal (aka a tablespoon of oats soaked in hot water), the same amount it costs to buy AN ENTIRE CARTON of oatmeal at the grocery store.
Angela D. says
For my family, it’s all about the taste. Sometimes we might just crave a McDonald’s meal, but their quality is wavering. If I’m going to splurge on french fries I expect them to be hot, not lukewarm or cold. Sometimes the fries are tough, sometimes soggy or just taste a bit “off.” That being said, we continue to crave the taste when we are lucky enough to get a hot, well-prepared meal. (One single slice of pickle on a burger? Cheap!)
Interestingly, family and friends that don’t visit McDonald’s very often, myself included, now find ourselves feeling a bit sick after a meal there. Our body’s way of telling us not to put that stuff in there!?
A small, perfect order of fries would have me retuning more often…tummy ache or not!
molly says
after watching the movie Food Inc a few years ago I stopped eating all fast food. Made an exception 2 years ago and had one McDonalds fish sandwich and was sick to stomach for 2 days. Never again!
Lindsey says
I sense I am in the minority here, but I really like McDonald’s fish sandwiches. And I appreciate that no matter where I have travelled in the world, I know I will get a clean bathroom if I stop at a McDonalds. And I like that they don’t chase off the geezers who meet there for coffee and companionship every day. They do have healthy food choices, if you want them. Finally, our local McDonalds pays $10 per hour starting and offers good benefits to full time workers and mobility for those who want to go up in management. And our local McDonalds hires people other employers shun, like the intellectually disabled or older folks. I don’t eat there every day but I think it has its place along the continuum of food choices.
Tamara says
Fish sandwiches with NO cheese; they got me through graduate school back in the 70s! Also, while so many people complain about their wages they seem to forget that most of these part time positions were never meant to be permanent ways to make a living. They are part time for a reason.
HeatherS says
I have to say that when my oldest was small we probably went to McDs once a week. It has the only indoor play place in our small town and during the winter it was so helpful to meet up with other moms and let the kids burn off some energy. That said, I usually got the salad except for the occasional splurge on the fish sandwich. There really is something about that fish sandwich! I can’t think of the last time we actually ate there now that the kids are older. I don’t know that their food is any worse than the other fast food options (Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy’s etc) but I just can’t stomach their food anymore. Perhaps it’s my age or that we rarely eat fast food. Our local McD’s hires many folks who might otherwise have trouble finding jobs due to disabilities and serves as a daily meeting spot for many older folks around here. I am not really bothered by McD’s. People make and should be responsible for their own food choices.
J. says
Ditto for the migraine relief from the french fries with extra salt…and a coke!
We use them extensively on long road trips for the restrooms (usually clean), free wifi, and convenient locations.
Lana says
McD’s-America’s favorite restroom!
Renay says
Ok, every once in a while a kids cheeseburger and fries is the bomb!!!!
Shereen @ Shereen Travels Cheap says
I haven’t eaten at McD’s in at least 5 years. For me it was finding out the way the animals were treated by their suppliers. They could buy from cruelty-free suppliers at no extra cost, but don’t. That aside, when I did eat there, it was mostly because the fries are like crack. I don’t know what they’re made with, but I CRAVED them. Cold turkey is the only way to quit that stuff 🙂 I barely eat fast food now, especially after watching Super Size Me. I can easily make something just as good and affordable, and healthier, at home from my freezer or pantry.
mdoe37 says
Unfortunately, there is only one other restaurant available locally besides fast food and pizza. Their burgers and chips run $8 and are way too much food. Families certainly can’t pay that.
If I have my choice, its a couple of tacos from Taco Bell…cheap and basic. I’ve tried McDonalds salads and they are not worth the price they charge. If they would just put basic iceberg lettuce in the bowl and forget all that fancy stuff that wilts quicker, the salads might be freshers…..actually no, they still taste processed.
I probably eat fast food once a week for convenience, on the road type of thing. Keep the portion small and cheap is my goal. If you eat well otherwise, it won’t kill you.
Lana says
The thing that made us quit going to McD’s was the demise of their good brewed coffee. We used to occasionally grab a quick breakfast there but our choice is driven by the coffee and since Chick fil A has great coffee and it is free since we are over 55 they win out every time. We abhor McD’s menu the rest of the day.
Ally says
I’m from Australia and McDonald’s here recently introduced a new marketing scheme/menu plan called “Create your taste”. Check out the McDonald’s Aus website for photos – it’s done wonders for sales!
The ingredients are fresh, you know where the beef, chicken, cheese etc are produced (all Aussie). I think they have done well to re market the McDonald’s brand in Australia with this – the American fast food model just doesn’t work here – as exhibited with Starbucks and their dismal failure here.
Perhaps McDonald’s does better here though because we don’t have as many other options as Americans do for fast food?
We really only have maybe 4? American-style fast food chains. Our other options are healthier salad bars or just an old fashioned fish and chip shop!
CathyB says
My kids have never really like McD’s – so even as littles we usually hit other fast food places more. I am a sucker for their french fries however. Sometimes when I am making really big juicy homemade burgers I will send someone down the hill to drive through and pick up their fries to go with the burgers. We also tend to drive through for their strawberry shakes and their $1 sodas. Their actual burgers however make our whole family feel a little bit sick. No other burger place does that to us.
Jen Y says
I love McD’s coffees. I really love their fries too though I rarely eat them anymore at my age. Their sausage breakfast burritos are a weakness on busy mornings & it’s my favorite place to go out for breakfast.
I think many people think if they’re going to spend money on eating out they want to buy something they enjoy, rather than something that’s healthy. That’s why we try to eat at home most days & save eating out money for nicer sit-down restaurants.
Heather says
I also read today that Whole Foods sales are down. What could this all mean?
Stacey says
When we travel, McDonald’s is one of the best super-quick stops because of the variety. Even when we had all the kids with us and I was (and still am) eating carefully to keep my weight down, there was always something for everyone. The trick is in the choices. I found McDonald’s had more good choices, but I had to be willing to order them and not the double cheeseburgers.