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Post by Village Idiot on Apr 22, 2015 21:41:49 GMT -5
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Post by RickW on Apr 23, 2015 0:51:48 GMT -5
I like McDonald's. But it's interesting, they have had a hard time coming up with new product lines that stick. The old tried and true stuff is what sells for them. Sooner or later, it had to catch up.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 3:49:52 GMT -5
Every time I want a taste of America, I walk a couple of blocks down to Tunis Street to the McDonald's. Same menu as the U.S., but they also have "McArabia chicken," which is chicken in pita bread. I've never ordered one. (If I want chicken, I'll go a block down to Hashem & Hashem, a Lebanese place with the best kabobs and chicken tikka I've had since I've been here. The waiters know me.)
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Post by drlj on Apr 23, 2015 7:36:53 GMT -5
We were at a McDonald's about 10 years ago. Don't recall what I got but I remember I thought once every 10 years was good enough.
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Post by Doug on Apr 23, 2015 7:41:41 GMT -5
I buy coffee at McDs when I"m on the road as they have clean restrooms. And I feel bad using the restrooms without buying something and their coffee is not bad (10 times better than Starbucks).
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Post by brucemacneill on Apr 23, 2015 7:57:43 GMT -5
I don't think a pricier menu will do them any good. Sometimes I wonder if places like the original McDonalds would work now, hamburger or cheesburger, no options, fries and a shake, nothing else, quick and relatively cheap, no indoor seating. IMHO, we may be back to those early '60s economic choices soon.
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Post by fauxmaha on Apr 23, 2015 8:01:18 GMT -5
I don't think a pricier menu will do them any good. Sometimes I wonder if places like the original McDonalds would work now, hamburger or cheesburger, no options, fries and a shake, nothing else, quick and relatively cheap, no indoor seating. IMHO, we may be back to those early '60s economic choices soon. I think that's right. Sonic seems to be doing pretty well with a traditional hamburger stand type menu. McDonalds seems to be the victim of their own success. They are so huge, they have become the symbolic face of the entire fast food industry. As such, they are the perpetual target of every food activist who tells them what they are doing is immoral. So they respond by adding a bunch of menu items no one goes to McDonalds to eat. They'd be better off doing as Bruce suggests: Burgers and fries, shakes and soda. You want a salad? Not here, bub.
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Post by majorminor on Apr 23, 2015 8:04:08 GMT -5
I see similarities between this thread and Millring's political progress thread.
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Post by millring on Apr 23, 2015 8:16:53 GMT -5
I see similarities between this thread and Millring's political progress thread. For one thing, they're both threads on the Soundhole discussion forum.
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Post by mccoyblues on Apr 23, 2015 8:53:22 GMT -5
If McDonald's wants to see growth in the fast growing "healthy" fast food segment they need to open new restaurants under a different name. Call it "McDonald's Cafe" and offer a sit down menu with table service along with the traditional counter service and drive thru and change the fast food world again, just like they did when they started.
Give those folks who want $15 an hour a place to earn it. In the dining room waiting on tables and earning tips.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 9:11:50 GMT -5
I think their greatest marketing mistake was making "healthier" and "trendier" the priority over flavor. Pleasing the public is a funny thing. They talk about eating healthy, and sometimes they do, but they still go for the burgers, fried chicken, pizza, tacos, and pancakes.
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Dub
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I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Apr 23, 2015 10:04:46 GMT -5
The original cheap fast burger chain was White Castle, begun in 1921. McDonald's was founded in 1940 but the first such store to arrive in Des Moines was Henry's Hamburgers, started by Bresler's Ice Cream Co. (ca. 1954) to sell more ice cream (shakes) without changing their ice cream stores. Henry's hamburgers were 15¢ each, an unbelievable price at the time. A made-to-order burger in a restaurant would have been four times that much. Henry's far outpaced McDonald's in the 1950s and into the 1960s.
When those restaurants, including McDonald's, began, beef was a somewhat different product. Cattle weren't raised on corn and soybeans and had a high percentage of Omega–3 fats as opposed to the Omega-6 fats of today's beef. And of course people still prepared and ate most of their meals at home.
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Apr 23, 2015 10:16:30 GMT -5
McD already tried the cafe/diner concept. It bombed.
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Post by Marshall on Apr 23, 2015 10:17:55 GMT -5
I beg to differ. I think in many locations, McDs becomes the safe destination and hang-out for old folks and biz people. Free wifi. Reasonable prices. Clean environment. Kids Play Room. Consistent expectations.
You don't get that at Sonic or White Castle. And I'd bet the failure rate of Sonics and White Castles is higher than Micky Ds. This is just normal attrition. They don't want to have units out there that are not meeting the chain's goals and performance criteria. It looks bad.
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Post by sekhmet on Apr 23, 2015 11:28:12 GMT -5
I haven't eaten anything at McDonalds since the last big mac didn't stay down. About 15 years or more.
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Post by PaulKay on Apr 23, 2015 11:35:48 GMT -5
We still frequent ours here in town for a fast breakfast sandwich. Sausage, egg, & Cheese mcmuffin will stick to your ribs for half the day.
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Post by Doug on Apr 23, 2015 11:36:23 GMT -5
I haven't eaten anything at McDonalds since the last big mac didn't stay down. About 15 years or more. Notice I don't eat their food. Just drink their coffee and use their restrooms.
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Post by majorminor on Apr 23, 2015 11:37:21 GMT -5
I probably sneak in to one in shame about twice a month for breakfast. I like the McMuffins and hash browns.
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Post by patrick on Apr 23, 2015 12:18:28 GMT -5
I think the problem with McD's is that its gotten too large. They've shaved every possible penny out that they can to maximize profit, and it shows in their food. I don't think I've eaten a really good burger at McD's in decades. Their fries used to be consistently perfect, now its hit and miss.
They've become a factory that just shoves their "food" in front of you as fast and as cheap as possible, with no regard for quality or taste anymore.
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Post by millring on Apr 23, 2015 12:23:58 GMT -5
I agree with the fast breakfast comments. Though it may be the last place I'd go for dinner, I often (while on the road) stop for breakfast. And, no, their coffee isn't better than Starbucks, but it's not as bad as it used to be (arguably best road coffee might just be Speedway).
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