# McDonalds is having a day **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 8, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575 "2024-10-08T21:05:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/81 "2024-10-13T12:29:54Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > This! > _At least_ 98% of the time fast food is consumed either in the car whilst continuing towards my destination or sometimes in restaurant if I want a break from driving; I almost never get it to go & eat is somewhere else. I’m like you. I think what we have here is that some huge percentage (90%, 95%?) of McD’s total sales are to people who eat it nearly every day. Or who are at least regulars who have the app, know the drill, and probably have 3 or 4 personalized combo orders saved in that app. _Those_ people are their customer base. Upselling them or shaving a few cents of touch labor off giving them their food and getting them back out the door is huge money to McDs and the other fast food operators. So that’s where they put all their effort on cost saving, speed of service metrics, etc. OTOH … The folks like most of us posting, who eat fast food semi-annually at best, _are not their target market_; you (and I) are simply an irritant, a form of Karen that want it done some weird way just for our personal perverse pleasure. Back when I was working I ate the majority of my fast food in airports, and only when I couldn’t find something better in the time available. It was very evident to me that a LOT of the other customers at any airport fast food place anywhere were in the same boat. Few of them knew how to play the game. And the counters are staffed with lots of workers, unlike the e.g. McDs in suburbia. Why all the extra labor? To deal with all the comparatively clueless customers who can’t play the game the hyper–efficient low-cost app/self-serve way. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/82 "2024-10-13T14:53:39Z")
yeah, but if there’s a line, you still need to wait for the person in front of you. We wanted something to eat late one night a couple of weeks ago. I realized that meant a bar, a convenience store, or fast food given the time of day. Against my better judgement, we went to Mickey D’s. The only option was the drive thru. I think there was one guy working in the whole place. It was 15 mins until we got to the speaker box & 25 mins from pulling in to pulling away. Not sure the app would have saved any appreciable time for the 8 or so cars in line. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/83 "2024-10-13T15:21:20Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > yeah, but if there’s a line, you still need to wait for the person in front of you. True, and I usually use the app and go inside for a counter pickup for this reason. I find it quicker than a line of cars and can quickly confirm my order before I leave. But, if you were going to use the drive-through anyway, there’s not really a downside to using the app. Best case scenario, you get through the line quickly while getting better deals and points for free food. Worst case, you take a regular amount of time and get better deals and points for free food. Even with me going inside, I’ll park in the lot and spend a moment ordering through the app before I go in because it’s cheaper/better than going in an ordering at the register. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/84 "2024-10-13T15:36:14Z")
They had to use the drive through that time. It was the only option. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/85 "2024-10-13T15:43:31Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > True, and I usually use the app and go inside for a counter pickup for this reason. I find it quicker than a line of cars and can quickly confirm my order before I leave. It was one of those open for drive-thru only times. I would _not_ have done drive-thru given how many cars were there if given the option > [@Jophiel](#): > > But, if you were going to use the drive-through anyway, there’s not really a downside to using the app. As posted upthread: > [@Spiderman](#): > > I’m not going to sell out all of my marketing info for a $1 or $2 off an order of french fries. I’ll never get a Bic Mac to eat in the car, too messy to eat one-handed with the shredded lettuce & sauce. I’ll only get one if I’ve decided to eat it on site. Their marketing would be screwed up on me because I’m placing my order based on ease of eating, not taste of eating. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/86 "2024-10-13T15:51:26Z")
It’s Year of Our Lord 2024 and I haven’t bought a fast food burger with cash for probably five-plus years. I assume they’re tracking customer preferences via CC/Debit card data anyway. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/87 "2024-10-13T20:34:03Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I’ll never get a Bic Mac to eat in the car, too messy to eat one-handed with the shredded lettuce & sauce. I once picked up a Carls Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger at the entrance to the freeway, drove from San Gabriel to the Forum in Inglewood, eating as I drove. Amazingly I didn’t drip anything. It was a miracle! ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/88 "2024-10-25T03:03:21Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I assume they’re tracking customer preferences via CC/Debit card data anyway. Apple Pay. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/89 "2024-10-25T04:15:55Z")
Dude, seriously, so gross. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/90 "2024-10-25T10:15:29Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I think what we have here is that some huge percentage (90%, 95%?) of McD’s total sales are to people who eat it nearly every day. Or who are at least regulars who have the app, know the drill, and probably have 3 or 4 personalized combo orders saved in that app. I saw an article years ago in which a McD’s executive referred to customers who visited with a certain frequency as “heavy users”. Googling now, I see that: - anyone who eats at McD’s at least 10X per month is considered a heavy user, and - that’s about 70% of their sales. > [@Jophiel](#): > > When people use the app, they can fire the $18/hr cashier. > > Back in the day, you had a row of registers, each run by a dedicated cashier. Today, there’s one register and someone in the cooking/drive-thru area needs to notice you and come over to take your order. When I worked at McD’s back in the '80s, the food system featured a “bin” - a big food warmer/display case between the service area and the kitchen where prepped, wrapped sandwiches were kept hot until they were either served or expired/discarded. During slow times, this system meant you stood a fair chance of getting a sandwich that was less than fresh, but no matter when you came in, it assured that you got your food quickly. We often ran promotions during lunch/dinner hours where the cashiers had to fill your order within 60 seconds of pressing “total”, or else you got a free drink. My recollection is that we rarely ended up giving out free drinks. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/91 "2024-10-25T11:40:05Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > We often ran promotions during lunch/dinner hours where the cashiers had to fill your order within 60 seconds of pressing “total”, or else you got a free drink. My recollection is that we rarely ended up giving out free drinks. I remember that. Special orders (“grills”) and ice cream cones were excepted. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/92 "2024-10-25T16:27:57Z")
That’s how it was in the 70’s too. Except we didn’t have ice cream cones. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/93 "2024-10-25T16:40:33Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A large fry costs $4 at McDonald’s these days, for maybe 25 cents worth of potatoes, oil, and salt. Is it any wonder people are ordering smaller sizes? And honestly, they just aren’t good many times when I order them. I’m not talking about the lack of beef tallow, that discussion is decades old. I’m talking being undercooked, or cold when served or tasting like potatoes-flavored salt licks. The other issue is that it has been shown many times that the small fries have almost has much food as the large fries, so why pay more although theoretically that shouldn’t reduce the quantity of fries sold f the two sizes really do have the same amount. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575/94 "2024-10-25T16:47:17Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And honestly, they just aren’t good many times when I order them. I’m not talking about the lack of beef tallow, that discussion is decades old. I’m talking being undercooked, or cold when served or tasting like potatoes-flavored salt licks. Very much agree. They are on timers (as they were 40 years ago) and that shouldn’t happen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-is-having-a-day/1008575.md?page=4)