Retail Watchers

https://www.today.com/food/restaurants/ ... rcna139995

For years, various Japanese Animes and Mangas have used fictionalized versions of McDonald's for various story purposes, often by flipping the Golden Arches logo upside down and renaming the restaurant to WcDonald's. Starting on Monday, McDonald's will be defictionalizing WcDonald's throughout 30 global markets by introducing a new limited time McNugget sauce and Manga-inspired packaging for other products, releasing four Anime shorts and creating a pop-up WcDonald's restaurant in Los Angeles.

The adult happy meal toy promotion actually brought in customers who bought the meals to get the toys. This time there is no toy. People don't collect food packaging. This promotion will not bring in the customers like the other times.

If they had some unique toys that you can show off on social media, then it would be a success.

At least with a toy, McDonald's would profit off of the scalpers who would buy happy meals and sell the toys online.

I have noticed a drastic drop in McDonald's business. The Walmart McDonald's near me used to be packed with long lines. Now you are lucky if you see a few customers. I think McDonald's is suffering from sky high prices, and no new food ideas.

It is just a matter of time before widespread closures, especially the ones inside of Walmart.

Alpha8472 wrote: ↑February 24th, 2024, 3:15 pm I think McDonald's is suffering from sky high prices, and no new food ideas.

The prices are made worse with delivery infrastructure and the app prioritization/deals.

The food is another issue. They still haven't undone the menu damage from COVID (no Fruit & Yogurt Parfait). They really need to loosen up in regional menu items and franchisee freedom to experiment.

In their new model, no self serve drinks, no drink refills. Not even napkins are customer accessible. No cashier.

The only thing that is somewhat surprising is anyone still goes to these places at all. I do go once a week on Friday to claim the free fries... either buy a now 1.49 drink, or at one unit the hamburger is still only? 1.79 so I'll buy that instead of the drink.

A couple weeks ago on the Friday I found a location that had Ice Cream Cone only 1.19 (most are 2.49+). I ordered it via the one working kiosk along with the free fries and the kiosk wouldn't take payment so I had to go to the register. The kiosk prints a little ticket out that you are to present to the cashier but they had inserted the paper the wrong direction so it just printed a blank piece of paper. Eventually someone came to help me. She saw my order and said oh the ice cream is broken so I have to take that off your order. Replaced it with a drink, was happy they were still self serve at that location. I loitered in the location exceeding the posted 30 minute time limit, and got 3 drink refills (I fill cup overflowing with ice first) exceeding the "limit one refill" policy posted, and watched as multiple other customers did the song and dance with the kiosk only to have it not take payment then print that little blank paper slip out then to stand at the counter for 2-3 minutes before someone would help them.

pseudo3d wrote: ↑February 24th, 2024, 9:32 pm

Alpha8472 wrote: ↑February 24th, 2024, 3:15 pm I think McDonald's is suffering from sky high prices, and no new food ideas.

The food is another issue. They still haven't undone the menu damage from COVID (no Fruit & Yogurt Parfait). They really need to loosen up in regional menu items and franchisee freedom to experiment.

If you want a review of the new WcDonalds sauce offering, @thatbilloakley has it on Instagram stories today.

SamSpade wrote: ↑February 26th, 2024, 1:08 pm

pseudo3d wrote: ↑February 24th, 2024, 9:32 pm

Alpha8472 wrote: ↑February 24th, 2024, 3:15 pm I think McDonald's is suffering from sky high prices, and no new food ideas.

The food is another issue. They still haven't undone the menu damage from COVID (no Fruit & Yogurt Parfait). They really need to loosen up in regional menu items and franchisee freedom to experiment.

Off Topic

No salads.
No grilled chicken sandwich or wrap.
No vegetarian or vegan presentation (despite youth being an age when many try this lifestyle out).
No return of a limited all-day breakfast offering.

They are trying that last one with that new place they opened next to a regular McDonalds

I tried the new Asian inspired sauce. It was somewhat spicy and tasted like a mix of spicy chili and teriyaki sauce. I was not impressed.

My chicken McNuggets didn't even come in special anime packaging. What a rip off.

The McDonald's app like other restaurant apps had some Leap Day deals. There was a $1 Big Mac on the app.

The McDonald's in my local Walmart was actually a little busier due to the deals, but McDonald's is just not as busy as it used to be. I have not gone there in a long time. Everything is so high in price and nothing is interesting.

Burger King still has the Leap Day Free Whopper with $3 purchase. Burger King seems busier than McDonald's. Perhaps it is because of the perpetual free fries deal on the app.