We talk about the critical importance to us of moderation in creating a successful StressBusting™ lifestyle in our post entitled "Variety may be the Spice of Life, but Moderation is the key to long term Wellness".
As a result, we could probably be described as less than "regular" customers of McDonald's.
So we have therefore been able to observe substantial changes to our local outlet each time we have attended for a family treat with a 'healthy' time distance between visits - changes we understand the corporate giant has effected to a lesser or greater extent across its portfolio.
The notable changes we have observed are as follows:-
● food & service remain excellent, staff seemingly still very well trained
● but prices have escalated
● time from point of order to receipt of order have increased radically
● home delivery companies dominate 'under preparation' screens & substantial restaurant eating space is specifically designated (by written notice) as being for delivery drivers only, reducing seating for dine in customers
● drive through queues stretch back on to the main road
● yellow cones on the restaurant floor direct people to different areas depending on their customer classification and warning of spilled fluids on the floor
● electronic ordering systems monopolise the mid strip of the outlet with queues for them and the counter in front of them causing crowds
● the sheer volume of people in and around the restaurant appears to cause possible cause for safety concern, particularly given the number of children on site
● there are limited parking facilities available, much of it is occupied by delivery drivers and other areas have been designated as Grill only waiting space.
The whole experience, far from being enjoyable, was STRESSFUL - from waiting to be able to park up, to deciding the best way of ordering, to queuing to order while various other orders were called out ahead and delivery drivers barged through to collect their pre-placed orders, to waiting in a dense crowd to receive our order, to finding space to dine but finding none, to getting out of the car park and then home with food which was by that time only luke warm when we had hoped to dine in.
To describe the operation as "organised chaos" is probably generous.
This might have been a one off, but might also ring of a company seeking to "have its cake and eat it" (excuse the pun) by servicing multiple customer bases concurrently, which is no doubt bolstering its bottom line, but without having the right existing property capacity to do it effectively.
The business would no doubt contend it is merely moving with the times and reacting to technological advancement alongside fresh customer demand, but at what expense to its underlying quality, culture or brand over the long term? And with what accompanying investment into, for example, dedicated delivery plants?
McDonald's has historically stood for simplicity, quality of product and service, speed, cleanliness and efficiency - all rightly celebrated American business principles.
Nowhere was its essence better encapsulated than in the excellent movie "The Founder", in which Michael Keaton played Ray Kroc, the man attributed with defining McDonald's into the much loved offering it became for generations of families across the world as a dine in or drive through "diner".
And this back story is important to any business - when we set up StressBustingExpert™, it was off the back of a cancer diagnosis that made us want to share our experiences openly to help make a difference to others in the same position, and the essence of what we do remains tied to this back story and (we hope!) is evident throughout our activities.
Far from being averse to moving with the times, we talk about embracing change in our post entitled "Let go of the Past & Create a New Living Legacy to Stressbust™", but radical change has to be measured and staged so as not to lose, but rather to incorporate, the positive aspects of the past.
Our feeling with McDonald's is that it has rather lost its own memory.
Instead of continuing a legacy whilst adapting its model to market changes, it appears to be becoming a dog wagged by a tail of restricted space against increased technology and competition.
Any business which has become reactive in this way may benefit from our post entitled, "Avoid the “All Inclusive Breakfast Buffet” approach to Stressbusting™".
McDonalds may have a major decision to make - namely, what does it stand for in the modern world?
And if it failed to make that decision quickly and act decisively off the back of it, it may become classified merely as a food factory posing as a family restaurant chain and, thus, be far less culturally relevant to the modern world.
And if a corporate titan like McDonald's can fall into these traps, then so can any other business.
It is therefore worth keeping a very close and continuing eye on pending trends and technological leaps so they can be adequately prepared for in advance. This avoids overnight reactive strategies resulting in brand cannibalistion or having to morph into a "jack of all trades but master of none". Our post entitled "Balancing "time travel" to StressBust™ - Our "15/60/25 Rule"" seeks to find an appropriate balance between focus on the past, present and future,
Our post entitled "Break Time Quickie: "Niche" versus "Generic" business offerings" provides onsights on the benefits of each and our post entitled "Recognise that Culture & Brand are inextricably linked" summarises the dangers of too radical a shift in focus to even a long term, loyal customer base.
And further information relevant to making advance preparation for market shifts can be found in our post entitled ""Due Diligence" : what is it and why is it so important?"
If you can relate to the contents of this post and would like the further value of our extensive expertise in this area, please reach out to us in confidence via our "Contact" page.
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