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.
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.
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.
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
As posted upthread:
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.