Geez, and I thought our 11 euro meal was expensive here in the Netherlands…
The company really has lost track of why people went there in the first place. They used to be cheap and fast; that’s what mattered. Nobody gave a shit that the food was just OK or that you ate it off a plastic tray while sitting in a plastic bench seat.
But in the 90’s, things went downhill. They made the restaurants ‘fancy’ and added a lot to the menu. Which meant you were now paying more for food and waiting longer to get it. Before the self order kiosks were installed, the staff also couldn’t keep up with menu changes, which meant more order errors as well.
They also invested more in things like healthy options and added specific McCafe coffee corners to sell better coffee. As if that was something we went to McD’s for…
They really need to get back to basics. A ten item menu, sold cheap, in a who-gives-a-shit what it looks like restaurant.
and added specific McCafe coffee corners to sell better coffee. As if that was something we went to McD’s for…
Australian here. In the last 40 years or so we have morphed (somehow) into notorious coffee snobs. Possibly due to a large number of Italian migrants in the 1950’s - 1970’s who wanted a decent espresso , who knows? But I digress.
McCafe coffee isn’t the best coffee around, but it’s a consistent quality that means you can go to nearly any McDonald’s in Australia and get the same without playing the dreaded guessing game of “will this coffee be undrinkable dishwater?” that you do when visiting random cafes.
Coupled with their efficiency in drive-thru operations it means you can grab a coffee with a known quality in a fairly well known timeframe, something that is sorely lacking in your average cafe.
Fair enough, you might not always have a decent, consistent chain nearby. Especially if you’re not in a larger city.
Here in the Netherlands we’re certainly spoilt for choice in that regard. You can get decent coffee just about everywhere. So it doesn’t really add much in that regard.
Australia doesn’t really have cafe chains. We just have a bazillion small cafes. Most sell coffee that is good or better, so I’m not sure what the person above it talking about, but most cafes can’t handle the volume of customers that a McDonald’s can, and virtually no cafe has a drive through. So McCafé was a success.
I worked at the 2nd or 3rd biggest McDonald’s (by revenue) in Australia for a couple of years and I can assure you that plenty of people wanted the McCafe coffee and cakes. The morning rush was ffffffffffffffucking insane.
With regards to healthy options, my reading of it was that they include it on the menu knowing that most people won’t order it - but people like the fact that they could order it if they wanted to (while scarfing down their triple cheese burger with extra bacon).
The absurdly large menu they have these days is a disaster though. I pity the people that have to work there now.
They can do whatever they want but a competitor should fill in the void, but that’s also not happening, all the other big names are just as bad and no new kids on the block anywhere. Have you tried the five guys in Utrecht? It’s really nice but you leave with a 30€ per person bill for some basic stuff, it’s mad.
In Canada, McDonalds is the best chain to go to for a decent cheap coffee. Our national chain, Tim Hortons, went downhill maybe a decade or two ago, and Starbucks is too expensive, lol
Geez, and I thought our 11 euro meal was expensive here in the Netherlands…
The company really has lost track of why people went there in the first place. They used to be cheap and fast; that’s what mattered. Nobody gave a shit that the food was just OK or that you ate it off a plastic tray while sitting in a plastic bench seat.
But in the 90’s, things went downhill. They made the restaurants ‘fancy’ and added a lot to the menu. Which meant you were now paying more for food and waiting longer to get it. Before the self order kiosks were installed, the staff also couldn’t keep up with menu changes, which meant more order errors as well.
They also invested more in things like healthy options and added specific McCafe coffee corners to sell better coffee. As if that was something we went to McD’s for…
They really need to get back to basics. A ten item menu, sold cheap, in a who-gives-a-shit what it looks like restaurant.
I generally agree with your post except for -
Australian here. In the last 40 years or so we have morphed (somehow) into notorious coffee snobs. Possibly due to a large number of Italian migrants in the 1950’s - 1970’s who wanted a decent espresso , who knows? But I digress.
McCafe coffee isn’t the best coffee around, but it’s a consistent quality that means you can go to nearly any McDonald’s in Australia and get the same without playing the dreaded guessing game of “will this coffee be undrinkable dishwater?” that you do when visiting random cafes.
Coupled with their efficiency in drive-thru operations it means you can grab a coffee with a known quality in a fairly well known timeframe, something that is sorely lacking in your average cafe.
Fair enough, you might not always have a decent, consistent chain nearby. Especially if you’re not in a larger city.
Here in the Netherlands we’re certainly spoilt for choice in that regard. You can get decent coffee just about everywhere. So it doesn’t really add much in that regard.
Australia doesn’t really have cafe chains. We just have a bazillion small cafes. Most sell coffee that is good or better, so I’m not sure what the person above it talking about, but most cafes can’t handle the volume of customers that a McDonald’s can, and virtually no cafe has a drive through. So McCafé was a success.
I worked at the 2nd or 3rd biggest McDonald’s (by revenue) in Australia for a couple of years and I can assure you that plenty of people wanted the McCafe coffee and cakes. The morning rush was ffffffffffffffucking insane.
With regards to healthy options, my reading of it was that they include it on the menu knowing that most people won’t order it - but people like the fact that they could order it if they wanted to (while scarfing down their triple cheese burger with extra bacon).
The absurdly large menu they have these days is a disaster though. I pity the people that have to work there now.
They can do whatever they want but a competitor should fill in the void, but that’s also not happening, all the other big names are just as bad and no new kids on the block anywhere. Have you tried the five guys in Utrecht? It’s really nice but you leave with a 30€ per person bill for some basic stuff, it’s mad.
So glad I live in the land of in n out. Fuck McDonald’s.
Because there are huge barriers to competition, including advertising. And if someone overcomes those obstacles, why not match existing prices?
You don’t have to talk to collude on prices.
In Canada, McDonalds is the best chain to go to for a decent cheap coffee. Our national chain, Tim Hortons, went downhill maybe a decade or two ago, and Starbucks is too expensive, lol
They didn’t lose track. People are now addicted to the salt and sugar bomb. They know it and capitalize on it.