McDonald’s The Fine Dining Joint!
McDonald’s is savoring the taste of success after a beefy play in the burger business. The fast-food chain is embracing quality where once there was only junk, and investors are lovin’ it!
It’s flip and fry service may be speedy, but McDonald’s has long battled a reputation for serving greasy, unhealthy, and generally ill-advised meals. Fed up of being picked on by competitors for its processed ways, the Chicago-based franchise has reshuffled its menu. It’s swapped frozen beef for fresh beef, and soon, will swap caged chicken eggs for free-range chicken eggs.
With ‘Maccies’ investors looking at a declining top-line, this move hopefully helps the franchise find some growth, a rare thing for mature companies in general. Measured by improvements in market share, the beef upgrade may be paying off for shareholders. Mark Kalinowski of Kalinowksi Equity Research, believes “consumers have noticed that it’s a better product,” the chain selling 40 million more quarter-pounders than usual in a 30% spike.
That’s not to say it’s been easy. McDonald’s sell a lot of burgers, and there are only so many cows there with bells on. Storage, logistics arrangements, and even kitchen utensils for the patties needed redesigning. The company’s supply chain officer, Marion Gross, called it “the biggest, boldest move that we’ve made in a long time.” But it’s done. And the company can now move on to bigger and better things as the competition starts to sizzle up again in the fast food field. This year, the fake beef business has ballooned. McDonald’s will need to respond to arch-rival Burger King, who is now in on the act producing plant-based meat. We’ll keep you in the loop.