So I saw this article the other day, To Woo Europeans, McDonald’s Goes Upscale. It's about how McDonald's is changing their look to lure customers into its European restaurants. They're making them over to look more upscale and adding useful luxuries, "to attract more young adults and professionals ... the chain is also adding amenities like Internet access and rental iPods." (Even their websites are cooler.)
Also, they say they use local products so as not to upset the farmers like they did in France:
"[McDonald's] experienced opposition to American corporations firsthand in 1999 when Jose Bové, the firebrand leader of a French farmers union, organized a bulldozing of a McDonald’s restaurant to protest the spread of American “hegemony.”
Mr. Hennequin reacted with a large advertising campaign promoting the American chain’s use of local produce and its creation of local jobs. McDonald’s not only organized open-door days for customers to come see its kitchens, but also invited customers to make a trip to its suppliers."
Apparently, we Americans are creatures of habit and and too stupid to deserve anything more than the clown colors and flourescent lights. Although, McDonald's has put healthier items on their menus due to the lawsuits, movies like McLibel and Super Size Me (even though they deny it) and, of course, due to the all mighty dollar.
Also, they say they use local products so as not to upset the farmers like they did in France:
"[McDonald's] experienced opposition to American corporations firsthand in 1999 when Jose Bové, the firebrand leader of a French farmers union, organized a bulldozing of a McDonald’s restaurant to protest the spread of American “hegemony.”
Mr. Hennequin reacted with a large advertising campaign promoting the American chain’s use of local produce and its creation of local jobs. McDonald’s not only organized open-door days for customers to come see its kitchens, but also invited customers to make a trip to its suppliers."
Apparently, we Americans are creatures of habit and and too stupid to deserve anything more than the clown colors and flourescent lights. Although, McDonald's has put healthier items on their menus due to the lawsuits, movies like McLibel and Super Size Me (even though they deny it) and, of course, due to the all mighty dollar.
Let Americans learn something from those Europeans:
if we don't buy it, they'll change it.
if we don't buy it, they'll change it.
2 comments:
You say "if we don't buy it, they'll change it." But the evidence you sighted doesn't support this. The "it" you're talking about is food. From what you said, it sounds like they didn't change any of the food. A Big Mac made with local beef and lettuce is still just a Big Mac.
It looks like the only thing they really changed was the atmosphere where you consume the food. After they spend all that extra money on fancy furniture, iPods, and "free" WiFi access, who do you think they will pass the cost on to? If I had a "Mac Attack", I'd rather spend $2.50 on a Big Mac than $3.
These perks wouldn't make any sense in an American McD's. American's don't go to Mickey D's to "hang out" in quasi-futuristic furniture. Also, what good does fancy furniture and the rest do me if I'm only driving "thru" like so many other people in the States do?
I think you're right that the consumer's dollar will influence the way business is done at McDonald's. The fact that there's a McDonald's in every city in this country seems to indicate that McDonald's American customers are OK with the status quo. I don't think this means the American customers are "stupid", as you say. I think it shows that they see McDonald's as a means to an end. In this case: getting some food as quickly as possible for the least amount of money. On the other hand, McDonald's European customers will allow themselves to be lured in by perks, and wind up buying the same exact product for more money. I don't think this shows that they are more savvy than their American counterparts. It actually seems to indicate the opposite.
WOW! Now things are getting interesting!!! :) So when I've read some other blogs, the blogger never seems to reply to comments on his/her blog. I don't understand that... I always hope that my posts will turn into conversation.
In that vein, here I go.
So although most of what I wrote about in this post was about the decor, my point that I was trying to make (obviously not very well :P )was that McDonald's changed some things to cater to more potential customers. I don't necessarily want different decor, but a comfortable and clean place would help. Also, I'm not looking to McDonalds for all my healthy needs, but I would like less processed food. Here is a comparision of the ingredients list(straight from McDs websites) for fries in the US vs those in the UK:
US - French Fries:
Potatoes, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor (wheat and milk derivatives)*, citric acid (preservative), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), dimethylpolysiloxane (antifoaming agent)), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated corn oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.)
UK - French Fries
Potatoes, Partially Hydrogenated 100% Vegetable Oil.
*Dextrose: only added at beginning of season. Salt is added after cooking.
So, it's much quicker to read the UK ingredients; trans-fat aside, there's not much in their french fries.
I am probably someone they wouldn't want to woo because I rarely eat fast food. I usually eat it when I'm on road trips and there aren't other options. But if I'm not on the road, I choose In N Out (you can see them cutting the fries at the store) and Wendy's (they offer healthy sides to their combos like salad and baked potato at no extra cost). I've tried their salads and the ingredients are kinda crappy. I think they could still find a way to be cheap and put out a decent product. I'm just asking why can't McDonalds do that? I guess because not enough of us want our McDonalds that way.
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