McDonald’s has seen a string of slumping sales in the past few years, and it’s looking for ways to turn it all around.
What path will it choose? Brand partnerships, like Taco Bell and Doritos? Skewing “healthier” by removing additives and artificial flavors, like Panera? Or — wait for it — toasting its buns for five more seconds?
If you guessed “definitely the buns one,” then you’re correct. Allegedly the five extra seconds of toaster time will result in burgers that are 15 degrees hotter, but I’m not positive that it is the temperature of the burgers that is the problem to begin with. The solution seems about as effective as:
- Practicing a new language for 30 seconds a day
- Doing one jumping jack per week to train for a marathon
- Brushing only your front two teeth
- Wearing jewelry and fancy shoes to a ball in hopes that no one will notice you’re wearing overalls
I mean, of course having hotter food is better, but while millennials are hopping over to more fun chains like Taco Bell or healthier ones like Chipotle, McDonald’s solution seems a little lackluster.
Luckily it does have other plans in place. Along with the toastier buns, it’s changing the way it grills its patties so they come off juicier. Other changes include making it easier to customize your own burger, cutting some of its more random items from the menu and introducing more upscale items, like the Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich. The bun-toasting strategy may seem a little like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole, but as a part of the chain’s overall strategy for regeneration, it just might work.
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