The world’s first and still most dominant fast food chain, McDonald’s, last week laid out its plans aimed at maintaining it’s ascendency in the marketplace., A few we’ve heard murmurs of before, but now it’s all on the table. The question is: Will the new McPlan do the trick and snap McD’s out of the doldrums?
This is a prototype of the new, touch-screen automated ordering terminal included in
McDonald’s blueprint for the future. Coming sooner or later to a McD’s near you,
it will replace of a slew of employees. Where will all the high school kids
with a work ethic and bored seniors work?
The whole plan seems to revolve around the central proposal to somehow cut $300 million in costs over the next two years thus upping the chain’s profits. This they say they’ll do by increasing automation in ordering and cutting staff (intertwined moves, to say the least). McD’s will also grow with franchises over the next few years rather than opening more company company stores, to reduce its costs for direct administration.
As hinted at in the past year or so, they’ll also roll out their All Day Breakfast and their Home Delivery programs, both of which have been in testing form months in selected micro-markets. We’ve covered those in previous posts.
The goal of making its food healthier – or at least appear healthier – has long been a McD’s priority, they insist. Though much could probably still be done in that direction…
More McD’s will be more sensitive to differences in tastes and food cultures in its various global markets. Innaid of increasing regional focus, the chain will split into four main operating jurisdictions – North America, the UK, Australia and the high-growth markets of Russia and Asia. Each will have more freedom, presumably, to plan and respond to regional dining differences.
So…
In spite of all the rumours and test marketing and other stuff flying around, that’s what McD’s is actually going to do. Starting now. The question remains: is it enough and is it in time to make the difference McDonald’s needs to snap out of an ever-deepening slump in growth?
Will the other fast food market players rush to copy the blueprint in order to keep pace?
Will diners accept automated ordering and buy the ‘healthier’ approach?
We’ll be following this story with interest…
~ Maggie J.