McDonald's aims for lower prices, faster ordering
McDonald鈥檚 is considering menu boards that present customers with lower prices on some core items and a limited 鈥淢ickey D鈥檚 best鈥� selection at both the drive-thru window and inside counter.
The Wall Street Journal this week聽聽some of the plans the company recently shared with its operators, including simplifying the drive-thru menu and strengthening its array of midprice items between $1.50 and $3. But BurgerBusiness.com has learned that advertising prepared for the company shows a new 鈥淏uild Your Meal鈥� approach to ordering that could be offered to both inside and drive-thru customers.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 to a new day,鈥� one drive-thru-focused commercial begins. 鈥淚ntroducing lower prices on many entrees. From classic faves to premium tastes. It鈥檚 Mickey D鈥檚 best for a price that鈥檚 even better.鈥�
Another commercial, focused on counter ordering says, 鈥淣ow enjoy lower prices on classic tastes like the Big Mac or Quarter Pounder with Cheese. You can build a meal you love for a price that鈥檚 even less.鈥�
鈥淏uild Your Meal鈥� isn鈥檛 a customization format like 鈥溾�� or 鈥�.鈥� It facilitates speedier ordering and service. Menu boards at the drive-thru or counter guide ordering: 鈥淪tep 1: choose an entr茅e鈥� from among core items such as Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Premium Chicken Sandwich or 10-pice McNuggets. Step 2: add side items. The choices are any size soft drink/sweet tea, medium fries,聽 side salad or dessert.
The choices are limited but it guides customers through assembling a combo meal with higher-margin sides and drinks. Operators will like that.
Also included on inside and outside menu boards is a new bundled multi-person Classic Pack option with two Quarter Pounders, two medium fries, 20-piece McNuggets and four sauces. A smaller Value Pack meal may also be offered.
Lower-priced 鈥淢cValue Menu鈥� items aren鈥檛 excluded. But on the drive-thru menu they鈥檙e listed below Happy Meal options. McCaf茅 beverage options also their own menu-board panel.
McDonald鈥檚 menu boards are digital, so they could easily be rearranged to feature limited-time specials or core products other than those shown. I don鈥檛 know when or if this 鈥淏uild Your Meal鈥� approach could be adopted systemwide, and the company鈥檚 not saying what it discussed with its franchisees. But it鈥檚 clear that simplifying ordering and steering guests to more popular, more quickly prepared or more profitable items is what the chain has in mind for the 鈥渕odern, progressive burger company鈥� it is building.
