(Thomas Dishaw) Is McDonald’s the most out of touch company in the US? Customers have spoken, and they want healthier options; cleaner food, non-gmo and organic portions to purchase. What we don’t want is to be continually insulted by companies ignoring our demands.
McDonald’s recently unveiled their coveted “turnaround plan” but decided to completely ignore their consumer’s requests. The out of touch decision makers at the top of the food chain decided a streamlined menu to speed up drive thru wait time, more mid priced items and all day breakfast, are the answer to diminishing sales. Really, McDonald’s? The cost of your items, nor the variety are issue, it’s the quality of your product. If a product is viewed as being worth the wait none of those factors matter (ie: Starbucks, Chipotle, Chick Fil A, Florafox, etc.) I guess closing 900 stores isn’t enough for you to get the real message.
GETTING LEFT BEHIND
Competitors are leaving McDonald’s in the dust. Chipotle who, unlike McDonald’s, values customer feedback, rolled out a GMO free menu to be hailed in the press as a leader in the movement for healthier food. What does McDonald’s do? They offer Kale. Now don’t get me wrong, kale is a great addition to the menu but with McDonald’s track record it will probably be Monsanto based, GMO garbage. Even Panera Bread was forced to clean up their menu and make a plan to ditch 150 toxic additives in their food. What does McDonald’s do? They claim to offer antibiotic free chicken in future sandwiches. If you notice, there is a pattern here, and that pattern is that McDonald’s is way behind on the trends, and it ends up being too little, too late. Kale has been hot for years and the demand for antibiotic free chicken just didn’t pop up yesterday.
LOOKING AHEAD
The future for McDonald’s looks bleak. They have completely ignored the clean food trend, refusing to even put one organic item on their US menu, while having the buying power and infrastructure to make healthy eating available on any corner in America. As long as McDonald’s continues to show allegiance to toxic products they will continue to see a decline in sales. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The only way companies listen is when we affect their bottom line. I guess we haven’t got McDonald’s attention yet, even though their sales continue to slide, stores continue to close and bad press continues to mount. If we vote with our dollars and vow not to spend a dime in their restaurants untill they offer healthier options they will listen. Untill then lets continue the boycott and watch their stock price plunge.