quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I'm sure McDonalds has done the math.

You mean like they’ve “done the math” the last 10 or 15 years with constant changes forced down the throat of franchisees only to be abandoned and on to the next “we did the math” idea. Meanwhile they continue to lose market share and brand loyalty to the competition. Is that the math you were referring to?

Maybe, but then again I really couldn't care less if bottom feeder fast food places like McD, B-K, and others go under.

The only constant in that business is change. New items, new menus, new ideas.

I have no doubt touch screens / online ordering is the wave of the future.

And I would bet that some McD would continue to have a place to sit (rural places), while some likely wouldn't (busy areas, cities, lunch only crowds, etc).

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
The only constant in that business is change. New items, new menus, new ideas.

Sounds great on a bumper sticker, but they're losing market share and brand loyalty to places with limited menus. For example:

Raising Cane's - very limited menu of chicken strips, fries, and cole slaw.

In N Out - very limited menu of burgers, fries, and shakes.

Five Guys - limited menu of burgers, dogs, sandwiches, fries, and shakes.

They're doing it with higher quality (or at least perceived higher quality), and better customer service not an endless stream of gimmicks.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I'm sure McDonalds has done the math.

You mean like they’ve “done the math” the last 10 or 15 years with constant changes forced down the throat of franchisees only to be abandoned and on to the next “we did the math” idea. Meanwhile they continue to lose market share and brand loyalty to the competition. Is that the math you were referring to?

tatortodd, you hit on my problem with McDonald's...

When I was in high school I had a buddy whose Dad was a McDonald's franchise owner. He got in at the right time and by the time we were in high school he owned about half a dozen McDonald's stores. He was very successful and a pillar of the community. We used to frequent one of them.

Fast forward to adulthood and my buddy went into the business with his Dad. I also have another friend whose wife was a McDonald's accountant. Through her work as an accountant she got into their franchisee training program. She worked her butt off in a store, at like minimum wage, and eventually became a franchisee. She and my friend thought they were on the path toward ownership and that things would work out like they did for my first friend's Dad who got in in the 1960's.

Suffice it to say that McDonald's, at the corporate level, changed its relationship with the franchisee. As a McDonald's franchisee you don't really own anything. They keep you in debt by continuously requiring you to "upgrade" everything: the appearance of the store, the equipment, etc., even if it's not broken or deteriorated in any way. You can't get out of debt. They just keep piling more costs on every time you start to get ahead.

Now, both of my friends are no longer McDonald's franchisees and they are much better off after getting away from McDonald's. McDonald's left behind a bitter taste, not just for my friends but for many other franchisees and all who know them. I won't eat there anymore.

I'll believe that the big franchise fast food chains are serious about dealing with the forced increase in wages and reducing headcount, when they automate the food prep / cooking process. So far I haven't seen that happening.

August 13, 2019
Dan Niepow

The Minneapolis City Council late last week voted to ban construction of new drive-thrus – a decision that’s garnered national media attention.

Council members have emphasized that the ban applies only to new drive-thrus; all existing drive-thrus will remain in place. Even before the citywide ban was enacted, the city had already prohibited drive-thrus in all 21 zoning districts except for six, says council member Lisa Goodman. And of those six, half are industrial, she notes.

“As much as it’s an exciting topic for all of the media to cover, no one loses anything they have now,” she says.

In Goodman’s view, the limitations actually make existing drive-thrus more valuable. What’s more, businesses will be able to keep their drive-thrus even if they’re sold to new ownership. Companies aren’t prohibited from renovating their existing drive-thrus, either.

Minneapolis isn’t the first city to ban drive-thrus, though city officials say it’s the largest to do so. In Canada, at least 27 local municipalities have enacted some sort of ban on fast-food drive-thrus, according to research from the University of Alberta.

The Minneapolis City Council is rolling out the ban to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and noise levels. Though the city hadn’t heard any specific requests for the ban, Goodman says drive-thrus have been unpopular proposals in the past.

“It’s been my experience that every application for a business that requires a drive thru generates opposition from the immediate neighbors and often the neighborhood association,” Goodman said. “No one wants to live anywhere near a drive-thru.”

^^^ Greenhouse gas and noise? BS

I haven’t had McDonalds food for at least 10-15 years. The last time I went I bought a drink in their drive through so I could use the straw on my RCBS gun powder dispenser (I threw the soda). I’ve only seen one Chik Fil A where I didn’t have to wait in line, it was in Springfield Mo. The CFA I went to Friday here in Texas had a line of cars in both lanes of the drive through (with at least 20 cars in line), no empty seats inside and the line inside wrapped around the dining area. It’s the first fast food place I’ve been in where employees go down the line inside with their pads taking orders. The McDonalds around me may have 5 or so cars in the drive through. As far as I’m concerned Mickey D’s is a dying breed.

Soooo...if you like your drive-thru you can keep your drive-thru? I believe I see where this is going...

As an historical tidbit, McDonald’s was one of the last fast food chains (at the time) to embrace drive throughs. The first one anywhere was in Sierra Vista, Arizona, in the early 1970s. I was stationed at Fort Huachuca at the time and remember seeing the “I made history” bumper stickers that were handed out to customers the first day it opened.