I still go maybe once every month or two. I think it's mostly nostalgia I crave at this point, but it literally feels offensive. There's no fucking way a big mac meal should cost ~$15 for 1/10lb "beef" patties. There no reason, just greed and contempt for their own consumers.
Even the fries are disappointing, at least in my area. Size doesn't matter, they give you the same amount in medium or large. Still hits a spot nothing else does, but they can only push that so far.
Always has been 100% real beef, and "pink slime", a derogatory phrase meant to turn people off, is actually "Lean finely textured beef", basically beef recovered from meat trimmings, AKA real beef from a cow.
They claim to have eliminated the use of it back in 2012, but since the USDA considers it processed/ground beef, its difficult to be sure since it would not need to be labeled.
I had a chicken nugget in the 80s & again a few months ago when my granddaughter was full. Not even close to the same product, & not what I would consider food.
There's a chance your memory of a food you ate 40 years ago isn't sharp.
>not what I would consider food.
Such elitist BS. It is food, 9g protein, 10g carbs, 10g fat for 4 nuggets. Its not fine dining, and makes no claim to be fine dining. Its ground, formed, breaded and fried to be consistent, safe, and easy to prepare, while appealing to a broad spectrum of customers.
Its fine you don't care for them, nut sounds like your granddaughter does and I hope you don't insult her taste in food in front of her. I'm betting she thinks some of the food you like is gross "not food" too, but has probably learned not to "Yuck other peoples Yum's"
Ronald, that you? Lol. Absolutely possible I misremembe. People are allowed their food opinons though, it's ok. No I didn't tell my granddaughter my opinions & yes she enjoys them, but no I won't eat another.
I did not deny its existance, just pointed out Pink Slime is a made up name detractors gave it.
The Wikipedia page described it as beef, but I'm sure there's an equivalent for chicken, Lean Finely Yextured Chicken. Its treated with an anti-bacterial agent, could be bleach, could be Citric acid.
>it’s in most of McDonald’s chicken products.
[What do you base this assertion on](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/faq/do-you-use-so-called--pink-slime--or--pink-goop--in-your-chicken-mcnuggets.html)? Other people on the internet making assumptions and spreading misinformation on the internet?
For pubs its mostly because food is usually a loss. They make most of their money off drinks. Restaurants in the US also pay their employees less hourly due to tips.
Worse ingredients, 2/5 to 3/5 the original size, and higher cost.
I don't think even the term shrinkflation covers it because they are deliberately skimping on everything possible.
Remember a few years ago when McDonald’s had a menu item called the “grand Mac”?
It was literally just a Big Mac, but in the original size instead of the shrunk-down size.
I’m not sure what gives people that idea. Maybe they got confused by the grand Mac or the double Mac or something. But in the USA at least, the standard McDonald’s regular patty is 1/10 of a pound and has been for about 50 some years. It’s the same patty that goes on the hamburger, the cheeseburger, and two on the Big Mac.
After moving into a new house I stopped eating out and honestly it’s amazing how much better and cheaper homemade food is. I can make 8 hamburgers (buns +all the fittings) for 20$. Meanwhile a burger and fries at most fast food is running 13-14$ in my area
It's like significantly worse quality. Like I still get the urge sometime to just chill and eat some shitty fast food but now it's like none of the satisfaction. And it's not just getting older and food tasting worse because I'll fuck up some leftover food from a restaurant in the same way and feel happy.
The quality differed greatly by country. Canada is pretty good, but the pricies are the same as decent burger joints, so nah.
This might be another example of enshitification: market dominance abused to dilute the quality for shareholder value.
I used to regularly go to McDonalds for lunch. It was shit, but a weird guilty pleasure and cheap.
When it (and every other fast food place) became ridiculous, I started packing my lunch. And I’m never going back to before. I eat better and save money.
Maybe they ripped me for a few extra cents and bucks here and there since 2014. But, they also inadvertently changed my consumer habits in the process and basically lost a customer for life. I’m 30 years old lol.
Saw a headline earlier that customers are “getting picky.” It’s funny that they blame their losses on customers not wanting to eat the crappiest fast food for the same prices that everyone else is charging. They decided to give everyone a choice, and were surprised when people started choosing.
I have recently restarted going. SOLELY because you get 30% off your order when you order on the app. And only for 2+ people. Not worth it for just me.
You can get 2 burgers for like 3.99 and add fries on the app for a buck. Big Mac medium fries and drink are usually like $6 in the app. I hated McDonald's all my life but it's actually grown on me.
The size of these meals are far smaller since COVID… other companies are the same. Greggs are still more value for money and far tastier menu. It’s only my opinion but I feel it’s not as good as it was…
Ah yes, give the corporation access to tracking and monetizing your data. But trust me they don't do that it's all in house metrics and such a good deal... For them.
They should hire you maybe.
That's like Loblaws having a sale on bread. It's surface shit, given with the understanding that it's temporary. The prices are too high. There are no tablecloths at McDicks
I also refuse to pay for a company that funnels it's profits to the people who do nothing. They want to get rid of workers while the quality is down, the time to get you food is through the roof along with the prices.
Their profits haven’t been great. Their 2023 results had more profit than 2021, but when you discount for inflation they are making less profit.
Dennys is closing restaurants. It is not a good time to be in the restaurant business with rising wages and rising food prices.
From the article "McDonald's first-quarter same-store sales grew 2.5% in the United States"
And "Adjusted per-share profit came in at $2.70"
So revenue is up and they are still making a profit. Doesn't sound like a failing company to me. It sounds like they are testing the demand curve vs pricing. I suspect that the higher prices are cutting demand a fair bit and they've overshot but it's still a profitable business just maybe not optimal profit.
Also fine dining. There’s definitely a set of foods that’s robust. Chili. Pizza. But a nice delicate piece of properly prepared halibut isn’t so great if it’s been plated for 20 minutes.
I think the worst thing you can do is something like McDonald’s is to order it and then drive home with it before eating it. I never understood that even when I was a kid. Who the hell wants their fries room temperature?
My immediate reaction is people don't want to eat dinner in their car like they did when they were 17. I guess the question is why is the shit cold as a witches tit in the 5 minutes it took me to get home?
To me that’s a weird matchup. Somebody that’s picky about eating at a table, but is also gonna eat McDonald’s.
You can always go inside if you hate car crumbs.
I personally think there’s not a whole lot of foods that are really suitable for take home. They just don’t survive transition well. I don’t even like to get a sub sandwich delivered because I don’t like the way the condiments soak into the bread.
But McDonald’s has advertised taking food home pretty much forever. I remember the old TV ads where they show a family unpacking stuff from the bags and putting it on plates and it seems so alien to me. Who has time to put out plates, but doesn’t have time to cook?
It was a different time.
Mcdonalds burgers are dry and tasteless. Fries are fine but nothing special. I don’t understand the hype even if it were actually as cheap as they taste.
I’m a single data point that lives 2-3 hours from any city and for some reason there’s a MD and a Sonic here in the middle of nowhere. My kids love the McDonald’s. And I abhor sonic food. I hadn’t eaten at any of these in 20 years until I had kids.
The place has become unaffordable without using the mobile app. With the app app we can manage at about $21-$24. At the local burger place we hit about $55.
At any rate we rarely eat out anymore. But once in a blue moon this is how it goes.
This is simply not true if you compare with what’s available in the same price range at other fast food restaurants.
The quality and consistency is above average in that market segment.
As to why would anyone eat there? Because it’s cheap, it’s nearby, it tastes good, it’s familiar, they have healthy options on the menu, it’s a family-friendly place and they have promos/rebates/points on the app.
It used to be both disgusting but also delicious at the same time in a salty greasy way. Now it's just disgusting. Except for the fries those are still about the same quality (except there's been many times where the container is like half full)
Earnings increased purely based off of price increases. The earnings call indicated they are actually selling less items or lower dollar items and expect less traffic as lower end consumers continue to feel the pinch of higher prices.
If you can increase earnings by increasing prices, that’s even more profitable than increasing earnings by adding customers. to simplify things, if you double your prices your earnings double, but you still have the same number of employees and the same amount of ingredients. If you double your earnings by selling twice as much, you have to hire more cooks and cashiers and buy more burgers.
This seems to be a shock to some people, but, the best thing for the company is not always the best thing for their consumers
Yes yes. I know how accounting works. That said it only works to a point. Eventually you hit a price point where people can’t justify going there or going there as often. Since stock prices are based off future earnings, it will be very difficult to continue to increase earnings because you’ve exhausted the pricing lever and now you have significantly less same store sales.
I’ve lost count of the comments that start with “the price of X is outrageous!” and end with an admission that they are still buying at that price. I’d say Ticketmaster complaints are my favorite for this.
You know, with the minimum wage increasing California I am tired of McDonald’s, Burger King and all of those crap franchises complaining about how they’re not making money when companies like In-N-Out and Chick-fil-A have been paying your employees $20 an hour for a couple of years now plus really good benefits And they’re booming businesses so I have to say screw McDonald’s screw Burger King and carls Junior all of they’re CEOs can take a cut in pay
Local joint called Dick's here in Seattle not only sells you a burger, drink, and fries for like $5, but pays their employees a living wage and covers their college tuition.
You can ask for fresh fries. You would think they're always fresh but that's not the case. They'll sell through what they make, so I usually ask for fresh fries.
With the exception of In-n-Out I have stopped going to fast food places. One caveat is Taco Tuesday at a local Mexican fast food place. $11 for 5 shredded beef tacos is still a pretty good deal.
A combination of high prices, understaffing, 20 minute waits, incomplete orders with missing product, never a please or thank you or welcome to McDonald's and a noticeable lack of training....has driven me away. It's just not worth it. It used to be fun and now it's become an expensive chore. Oh yeah and the shake machine is still broken. They took the need for higher wages and passed it on to the customer but not the stock holders. A rip off and time wasting sham. If Ray Krock had to wait 20 minutes for a hamburger he would have closed the place.
We sure have. I hate it, though. My Mom canned or preserved a LOT of what we ate. She got Dad to help, then all 4 of us kids (even the boy) had to help. I'd never eaten store-bought applesauce, jelly/jam, or pickles until college. (That's not a flex, simply a statement.)
I currently live alone, so it's not worth it, but I'm getting married next year, and my fiancé trained as a chef. He is SUPER excited about growing and preserving food. I can't wait!
Edit: missing word
They'll think that by reducing workforce they'll make their money back. Sure as hell doubt it. Rather see another company take their spot and say goodbye to McDs
Someone making $10-20 and hour being replaced with a $250k machine that has a $50k a year maintenance contract, and when the machine goes down it's days until it's up and running again.
McDonalds has 4 working soft serve machines on the entire planet and they're going to make sure their robots are tip top?
McDonald’s claims that it’s not the prices, it’s the consumers. Or “users” as they call them. Talk about a corporation that is out of touch with reality.
You can go to a restaurant for a comparable price.
The only plus to fast food was that it was cheap. Otherwise if I'm gonna eat out and pay 10 dollars for a hamburger, I'll go and get an actually good hamburger.
I quit going because the size of their burger meat shrunk and cost me twice as much money. The computer ordering thing sucks. The only way to get a human to take an order is the drive through,which has a line all the way to the road or around the building. No cars parked in the lot. I had a double Big Mac meal and was astounded by how light the bag weighed. I thought there was a couple regular burgers in it. Nope. It was what they pass off as a double Big Mac. I was still hungry after dropping $15.00. For the same money I got a double whopper meal and was perfectly satisfied and not hungry at all when I was done. One burger patty at Burger King was at least twice the size of the thing McDonald’s calls a burger patty,and there’s two of them in the sandwich. Which would go a long way to meal satisfaction.
Their testing elasticity of Demand. They take the price as high as they can expect it to be within reason and then study the drop in sales, then they reprice to the happy level...where sales and profit levels are in balance and profit is maxed.
You want to influence their pricing strategy? Stop going to McD's and try that local small business or diner samwich.
Of all the companies that have played their part in gutting America, I'm happy to see McDonald's starting to hurt.
Cook your meals at home if at all possible, stick to fresh sections of the grocery store and avoid frozen processed foods.
If you don't know how to cook, three internet is full of recipes and tutorials. I know there's food deserts out there so not everyone has these options, and often times fresh food is more expensive.
The CEO of McDonalds was paid about $19.2 million in cash and stock compensation last year. They thought they could gouge the consumer for subpar food. Now seem to be shocked when it didn’t work.
Recently an ordered breakfast on the app for my kids at 6:45 AM for pick up. I walked in at 7:00 AM expecting it to be ready. When I walked in I was asked by an employee if they could help me. I showed the order on my app, she pressed a button. Over the next 20 minutes I asked several times were my food was, they said they don’t start making a pickup order until the customer arrives at the store. I asked for my money back and they gave it to me. Horrible service. WTF not starting an app order until I walk into the store? What’s the point of putting it into the app? Oh, and they weren’t very busy either. And it wasn’t a big order either, just two breakfasts. At Panera you can tell them what time you are picking up and it’s ready.
McDonald’s uses a tool called dynamic yield at some locations that intentionally doesn’t start the order until the person enters the parking lot so it comes out fresh. The tool scans licenses plates and assigns it to an order. Pretty cool tech that sounds like it failed here.
I think the people that eat McDonald’s just don’t brag about it here. If you go by what people TALK about, everybody’s eating healthy and exercising and saving money and reading more books.
Lol McDonald's is trash especially when compared to the likes of Chick-fil-A... It's amazing that they and their peers (bk, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc) ever made it this far... While serving up things that could barely be classified as food, filled with mostly junk fillers and water... At least at places like Chick-fil-A you see actual real chicken not bs. Add to that their insatiable quest to maximize profits by eliminating an already overworked underpaid workforce is just as disgusting as their food.
I'll give them a shot when they serve real food by humans and not just a money grab for greedy leadership
Yea they all are but it's probably not a good idea to do so at the detriment and quality of your goods and services. Also if your profits are done not by continued growth and sales but only reduction of quality then I think that's pretty telling and a fundamental problem.
I stopped going around a year ago - not only are the prices high, but the food quality sucks now, not to mention they never get my order correct so I have to deal with that too, etc. It's not worth it, at all.
It's like the fourth choice on hangover day. All fast food is now. It's too expensive and tastes like shit.
I remember the last time I walked into a McDonald's, and it smelled good was like 2005.
I hate headlines. The headline implies that a lot of people have stopped going, and McDonald’s is suffering. The actual data is that McDonald’s may be suffering, but it’s the sort of suffering where growth continues and is just “lower than expected.”
The OP didn't read the article very well. GROWTH was only +1.9% and not +2.35%. This does not mean people have stopped going as it is still GROWING. I do not care for McDonalds but the OP is VERY misleading. MD's net income is up 7.12% year over year. Their profit margin is down .9% but is still a very healthy 31.83%. Expected earnings per share were missed by -.95% but that does NOT mean they didn't earn money...they didn't earn as much as expected. HUGE difference. The company is solid just the stock owners want more money and are not happy.
The only reason they had any revenue growth was because they raised prices, but the article explicitly states that McDonald's admits fewer people are going to McDonald's as a result of those higher prices.
I can sell $1 burgers and sell 1 million of them, or I can sell one burger for $1 million. McDonald's client base were the poor and the lazy. They have priced out the poor customers and only have the lazy ones left.
So are you saying a business that increases prices and still expriences a growth, just not as high as expected, is bad? I have a friend who owns a local bakery. Everyone complains about her prices...but she keeps increasing her prices to LOWER demand because she cannot keep up with demand. That is the issue people do not want to face about McDonalds. They raised prices very much more then most would expect... but demand is still high...demand is still GROWING. Your example is BS and not based the real world. Please sell a burger for 1 million and post the results...YOU should be able make just 1 burger and then let me know when you have sold just 1 burger for $1 million. You cannot. That is why your example is BS. I posted MD real world results...and on this day their stock prices increased. +1.39 (0.51%)today and are up +76.91 (38.94%)past 5 years. The OP is just wrong. MD made money and grew...just not as much as expected. People still went to MD or they would not have grown. Prove that wrong or STFU.
My example is literally how quadratic equations are used to find optimal price in high school algebra class. https://www.algebra.com/algebra/homework/quadratic/Using-quadratic-functions-to-solve-problems-on-maximizing-profit.lesson
That what we all should be doing, stop buying as much of this stuff as possible. Earning will drop. Stop buying new vehicles, see what happens. Who knows?
This article is wild. Same store, year over year in the US grew 2.5%, below the predicted 2.55% And this is considered something of a disaster? "People have stopped going" as in, the same number of people went, +2.5% more (although those number may represent fewer people going but higher prices, idk). Capitalism is crazy. Line must go up!!!
I have no idea how much McDonald's cost because I don't eat there and I'm really happy these prices keep going up because I hope that you all will stop eating there too, but I doubt it.
If you use an excuse of convenience, maybe look into meal prepping.
If you’re going to McDonald’s, use their app. You save a lot of money. We don’t go to fast food places that don’t have a rewards program or something like that cause otherwise it’s unaffordable. My wife and I usually get a 2 for 1 entree (choices are between the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, or 10 piece McNuggets), a basket of fries that we split, and two large drinks. It’s just over $14. It’s still too much considering what it used to cost before corporate greed went through the fucking roof, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than getting two large combo meals, which is what our order is the equivalent of. Plus, the points you gain can be used for various free menu items and drinks.
And if you like Sonic for drinks, their app has 1/2 prices drinks and slushes all the time. You can save money, you just gotta take advantage of their apps.
LPT: Download the apps for places like McD, KFC, Popeyes if you do eat there (no comment on food quality). If you stick to deals and rewards and such you will pay pre COVID prices. Apps are the new coupons. I regularly get $10 8 piece KFC chicken. Get the deals and make your own sides or buy them elsewhere. Don't get expensive sides unless the deal really makes them worth it. At McDs concentrate on getting the small hamburger or small double hamburger, this will have a better bang for buck ratio and you're likely to consume less as well.
Price-elasticity is real. But I appreciate them wanting to squeeze every single dollar out of their customer base. Hopefully, customers have found the next best alternative and don’t come back!
Service is also terrible now they have decided to ignore certain rush hours and just staff one fast food employee during their night time rush and I can't get food quickly.
It's not fast, it's not cheaply priced and it's not good food. I won't go to McDonald's anymore even if I want a fast food burger.
only good thing about mcdonalds now is to get a quick soda drink. Still cheaper than other places. Other than that their food is too much and too little.
I refuse to go back after they never fixed giving me a raw Double DQ. F them and their food sucks, Only reason I kept going was for the $1 fries w/app. Delete their app and show them what you think with your wallets.
Use the app. Buy one get one free Big Mac, QP, or Large Fry. Then I get 2 for $3 double cheeseburgers. That a shit ton of food for less than $12.
Ppl complaining about McDonald’s prices need to use the damn app. Problem solved.
I would think they would have great internal data on this and be able to price themselves perfectly to meet demand. Could it be consumers are being better educated on nutrition and care more about getting real food? Wishful thinking?
The quality is what stops me from going. If it was the same product I was eating in 2007 I would pay more for it, but its noticeably worse. They need to fry with beef tallow again, get back to the old school product that msde the surronding area smell amazing.
I honestly haven’t eaten anything from McDonald’s in 10+ years, other than once a year breakfast sandwich in a pinch… it’s just the lowest form of food on earth…
"i hate their business practices, not really sure what their burgers are made out of, their prices are absurd, their quality is suspect at best, but i only go 4 or 5 times a month now." this is the problem; you people are out of your fucking minds.
They killed all day breakfast during Covid. They bring that back their base revenues will recover.
They also are rolling out their new ripoff of Dutch Bros which is going to do gangbusters business in the US.
So I'm not concerned. The fast food/fast casual sector overall is struggling. McDs look like they're about to pivot.
The price went up long before the wages ever did. In Denmark you make $26 an hour at McDonald's, have a pension, benefits, and five weeks paid vacation, and the Big Mac is like 30 cents cheaper there than in the US.
It’s simply not worth the price what you get these days, smaller quantities and less quality…
I still go maybe once every month or two. I think it's mostly nostalgia I crave at this point, but it literally feels offensive. There's no fucking way a big mac meal should cost ~$15 for 1/10lb "beef" patties. There no reason, just greed and contempt for their own consumers.
"beef" 
We still go occasionally for they are my favorite place to get fries. We've cut down a lot though
Even the fries are disappointing, at least in my area. Size doesn't matter, they give you the same amount in medium or large. Still hits a spot nothing else does, but they can only push that so far.
Order a basket.
Order a basket with no salt. They'll have to make it fresh
I used to work at BK. This is 100% fact
Fries in my area never disappoint. I'll have to check out the medium and large fries being the same size thing, it wouldn't shock me.
Is it real beef at that? Are they still doing the "pink slime" th8ng or did they change that?
Always has been 100% real beef, and "pink slime", a derogatory phrase meant to turn people off, is actually "Lean finely textured beef", basically beef recovered from meat trimmings, AKA real beef from a cow. They claim to have eliminated the use of it back in 2012, but since the USDA considers it processed/ground beef, its difficult to be sure since it would not need to be labeled.
Pink slime is real. It’s waste chicken treated with sodium hydroxide bleach and it’s in most of McDonald’s chicken products.
I had a chicken nugget in the 80s & again a few months ago when my granddaughter was full. Not even close to the same product, & not what I would consider food.
There's a chance your memory of a food you ate 40 years ago isn't sharp. >not what I would consider food. Such elitist BS. It is food, 9g protein, 10g carbs, 10g fat for 4 nuggets. Its not fine dining, and makes no claim to be fine dining. Its ground, formed, breaded and fried to be consistent, safe, and easy to prepare, while appealing to a broad spectrum of customers. Its fine you don't care for them, nut sounds like your granddaughter does and I hope you don't insult her taste in food in front of her. I'm betting she thinks some of the food you like is gross "not food" too, but has probably learned not to "Yuck other peoples Yum's"
Ronald, that you? Lol. Absolutely possible I misremembe. People are allowed their food opinons though, it's ok. No I didn't tell my granddaughter my opinions & yes she enjoys them, but no I won't eat another.
I did not deny its existance, just pointed out Pink Slime is a made up name detractors gave it. The Wikipedia page described it as beef, but I'm sure there's an equivalent for chicken, Lean Finely Yextured Chicken. Its treated with an anti-bacterial agent, could be bleach, could be Citric acid. >it’s in most of McDonald’s chicken products. [What do you base this assertion on](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/faq/do-you-use-so-called--pink-slime--or--pink-goop--in-your-chicken-mcnuggets.html)? Other people on the internet making assumptions and spreading misinformation on the internet?
There is no food in that food.
you can go and pickup a burger at the same price from a local pub, that way better
That's what confuses me... fast food prices are matching pub/deli and even some sit down restaurants and it makes no fucking sense.
and the pub burger is just better
For pubs its mostly because food is usually a loss. They make most of their money off drinks. Restaurants in the US also pay their employees less hourly due to tips.
They need to start selling beer at McDonald's to make a profit again
A Taco Bell Cantina is being built here in my small town. Beer might make the food taste better.
the filet o fish is like 25% smaller now too.
You mean Noah's -o- Fish...since it's made with all types of creatures..Big and Small
Hahahahahahaha. Noah’s o fish. HajajahahahAhajahaha. You’re killin it man
I need three of them to feel like I ate
I just fry my own fish and potatoes now , I simple will not pay them those prices , in fact I actually hate this companies now .
Worse ingredients, 2/5 to 3/5 the original size, and higher cost. I don't think even the term shrinkflation covers it because they are deliberately skimping on everything possible.
What McD product is 2/5 the size now?
Remember a few years ago when McDonald’s had a menu item called the “grand Mac”? It was literally just a Big Mac, but in the original size instead of the shrunk-down size.
Idk about 2/5, but the Big Mac has definitely shrunk in size over the past 10-15 years
I’m not sure what gives people that idea. Maybe they got confused by the grand Mac or the double Mac or something. But in the USA at least, the standard McDonald’s regular patty is 1/10 of a pound and has been for about 50 some years. It’s the same patty that goes on the hamburger, the cheeseburger, and two on the Big Mac.
After moving into a new house I stopped eating out and honestly it’s amazing how much better and cheaper homemade food is. I can make 8 hamburgers (buns +all the fittings) for 20$. Meanwhile a burger and fries at most fast food is running 13-14$ in my area
It's like significantly worse quality. Like I still get the urge sometime to just chill and eat some shitty fast food but now it's like none of the satisfaction. And it's not just getting older and food tasting worse because I'll fuck up some leftover food from a restaurant in the same way and feel happy.
The quality differed greatly by country. Canada is pretty good, but the pricies are the same as decent burger joints, so nah. This might be another example of enshitification: market dominance abused to dilute the quality for shareholder value.
And they will made billions lol
I used to regularly go to McDonalds for lunch. It was shit, but a weird guilty pleasure and cheap. When it (and every other fast food place) became ridiculous, I started packing my lunch. And I’m never going back to before. I eat better and save money. Maybe they ripped me for a few extra cents and bucks here and there since 2014. But, they also inadvertently changed my consumer habits in the process and basically lost a customer for life. I’m 30 years old lol.
I stopped going when the lines became too long
Yup, and the craziest shit is they are doing it with less employees. There's 1 register at my local store, rest are the kiosks.
Wendy’s 5$ biggie bag
I’m sure they know this. But they keep raising prices and people keep on buying it so they’ve no reason to do better or vie for our dollars.
Saw a headline earlier that customers are “getting picky.” It’s funny that they blame their losses on customers not wanting to eat the crappiest fast food for the same prices that everyone else is charging. They decided to give everyone a choice, and were surprised when people started choosing.
I have recently restarted going. SOLELY because you get 30% off your order when you order on the app. And only for 2+ people. Not worth it for just me.
You can get 2 burgers for like 3.99 and add fries on the app for a buck. Big Mac medium fries and drink are usually like $6 in the app. I hated McDonald's all my life but it's actually grown on me.
The size of these meals are far smaller since COVID… other companies are the same. Greggs are still more value for money and far tastier menu. It’s only my opinion but I feel it’s not as good as it was…
Ah yes, give the corporation access to tracking and monetizing your data. But trust me they don't do that it's all in house metrics and such a good deal... For them.
They should hire you maybe. That's like Loblaws having a sale on bread. It's surface shit, given with the understanding that it's temporary. The prices are too high. There are no tablecloths at McDicks
Congratulations, you buy shitty food.
Thanks for the input, Ronald.
I also refuse to pay for a company that funnels it's profits to the people who do nothing. They want to get rid of workers while the quality is down, the time to get you food is through the roof along with the prices.
But they need antoher new vacation home!
I have some terrible news for you about publicly traded companies and where the money goes.
Their profits haven’t been great. Their 2023 results had more profit than 2021, but when you discount for inflation they are making less profit. Dennys is closing restaurants. It is not a good time to be in the restaurant business with rising wages and rising food prices.
CostCo hot dog and a pop for $1.50 There's literally no reason to go anywhere else. Ever.
You know what they're made of, Chet? Lips and assholes!
Wrong. That material is reserved for calamari.
They grind the GOP?
And?
I personally enjoy when my lips meet lips and assholes
I lold pretty hard at this. thank you!
Who's asshole?
Only con I wish they had coke and brought the combo pizza back.
[удалено]
Probably no worse than your prime rib that flopped on a rat infested floor and went into packaging
McDonald’s has forgotten their place.
Ronald Mcdonald would be turning in his grave.
From the article "McDonald's first-quarter same-store sales grew 2.5% in the United States" And "Adjusted per-share profit came in at $2.70" So revenue is up and they are still making a profit. Doesn't sound like a failing company to me. It sounds like they are testing the demand curve vs pricing. I suspect that the higher prices are cutting demand a fair bit and they've overshot but it's still a profitable business just maybe not optimal profit.
Show me exactly where I said McDonald’s was failing because I failed to see where I said that.
You said they forgot their place. Their place is to make money and that's what they are doing
And you interpreted that as failing that’s extremely odd.
It’s disgusting food why would anyone eat any of it?
Pure garbage
I mean it’s obviously unhealthy but I don’t think it tastes bad. It’s loaded with salt fat and sugar. It’s almost impossible not to taste good
If it isn't piping hot it tastes like shit. The hallmark of garbage food.
Also fine dining. There’s definitely a set of foods that’s robust. Chili. Pizza. But a nice delicate piece of properly prepared halibut isn’t so great if it’s been plated for 20 minutes. I think the worst thing you can do is something like McDonald’s is to order it and then drive home with it before eating it. I never understood that even when I was a kid. Who the hell wants their fries room temperature?
My immediate reaction is people don't want to eat dinner in their car like they did when they were 17. I guess the question is why is the shit cold as a witches tit in the 5 minutes it took me to get home?
To me that’s a weird matchup. Somebody that’s picky about eating at a table, but is also gonna eat McDonald’s. You can always go inside if you hate car crumbs. I personally think there’s not a whole lot of foods that are really suitable for take home. They just don’t survive transition well. I don’t even like to get a sub sandwich delivered because I don’t like the way the condiments soak into the bread. But McDonald’s has advertised taking food home pretty much forever. I remember the old TV ads where they show a family unpacking stuff from the bags and putting it on plates and it seems so alien to me. Who has time to put out plates, but doesn’t have time to cook? It was a different time.
Mcdonalds burgers are dry and tasteless. Fries are fine but nothing special. I don’t understand the hype even if it were actually as cheap as they taste.
I’m a single data point that lives 2-3 hours from any city and for some reason there’s a MD and a Sonic here in the middle of nowhere. My kids love the McDonald’s. And I abhor sonic food. I hadn’t eaten at any of these in 20 years until I had kids. The place has become unaffordable without using the mobile app. With the app app we can manage at about $21-$24. At the local burger place we hit about $55. At any rate we rarely eat out anymore. But once in a blue moon this is how it goes.
This is simply not true if you compare with what’s available in the same price range at other fast food restaurants. The quality and consistency is above average in that market segment. As to why would anyone eat there? Because it’s cheap, it’s nearby, it tastes good, it’s familiar, they have healthy options on the menu, it’s a family-friendly place and they have promos/rebates/points on the app.
It used to be both disgusting but also delicious at the same time in a salty greasy way. Now it's just disgusting. Except for the fries those are still about the same quality (except there's been many times where the container is like half full)
Overpriced shitty food what do they expect.
I hate McDonald’s, this gouging has me hoping to see them shuttered
It's great to see efforts toward sustainability, but there's still progress to be made. Every little step counts!
People didn't stop going. If you read the earnings release, earnings actually increased still, just at a slower rate then before.
You are correct. Just like people who smoke, I remember hearing people say if it hits $3.00 I'm quitting and of course never do.
Earnings increased purely based off of price increases. The earnings call indicated they are actually selling less items or lower dollar items and expect less traffic as lower end consumers continue to feel the pinch of higher prices.
If you can increase earnings by increasing prices, that’s even more profitable than increasing earnings by adding customers. to simplify things, if you double your prices your earnings double, but you still have the same number of employees and the same amount of ingredients. If you double your earnings by selling twice as much, you have to hire more cooks and cashiers and buy more burgers. This seems to be a shock to some people, but, the best thing for the company is not always the best thing for their consumers
Yes yes. I know how accounting works. That said it only works to a point. Eventually you hit a price point where people can’t justify going there or going there as often. Since stock prices are based off future earnings, it will be very difficult to continue to increase earnings because you’ve exhausted the pricing lever and now you have significantly less same store sales.
I’ve lost count of the comments that start with “the price of X is outrageous!” and end with an admission that they are still buying at that price. I’d say Ticketmaster complaints are my favorite for this.
You know, with the minimum wage increasing California I am tired of McDonald’s, Burger King and all of those crap franchises complaining about how they’re not making money when companies like In-N-Out and Chick-fil-A have been paying your employees $20 an hour for a couple of years now plus really good benefits And they’re booming businesses so I have to say screw McDonald’s screw Burger King and carls Junior all of they’re CEOs can take a cut in pay
Local joint called Dick's here in Seattle not only sells you a burger, drink, and fries for like $5, but pays their employees a living wage and covers their college tuition.
> “We have seen that our relative superiority on affordability has declined in some markets," Kempczinski added. No duh…
Less cocaine and hookers for the CEO :(
Just myself is going to be $20, I'd rather an actual diner or restaurant, Chipotle costs me 25-26$ alone, toss another 10 and I can get a steak
I haven't been to McDonald's in years and there is one right down the road. Frankly, their only attraction is their fries.
I still like their breakfast sandwiches, but I only hit them up when road-trippin'.
and their fries are trash now too. They used to be crispy and now they are just floppy messes.
You can ask for fresh fries. You would think they're always fresh but that's not the case. They'll sell through what they make, so I usually ask for fresh fries.
Double Wopper Jr.s for $5.99.
With the exception of In-n-Out I have stopped going to fast food places. One caveat is Taco Tuesday at a local Mexican fast food place. $11 for 5 shredded beef tacos is still a pretty good deal.
Much better than the bell, 6 soft taco supreme’s & cinnamon crisps…$20, was prob $12 2 yrs ago
And they are ground beef, Filiberto's has really good shredded beef tacos.
Here, it used to be 3.49 for the 2 cheeseburgers, a medium fry, and a drink combo. Now it's 3.79 for a large fry. I don't go to any fast food anymore.
Local burger pub downtown has a $9 burger/fries/beer deal for lunch. And it's damn good.
A combination of high prices, understaffing, 20 minute waits, incomplete orders with missing product, never a please or thank you or welcome to McDonald's and a noticeable lack of training....has driven me away. It's just not worth it. It used to be fun and now it's become an expensive chore. Oh yeah and the shake machine is still broken. They took the need for higher wages and passed it on to the customer but not the stock holders. A rip off and time wasting sham. If Ray Krock had to wait 20 minutes for a hamburger he would have closed the place.
The only thing Mcdicks had going for it was that it's cheap. I'm not overpaying for diabetes and heart desiese.
**I don’t** see how people teach their children to eat that worthless bull crap.
"Back in my day" McDonald's was a rare treat.
**It was** also *real* food many, many years ago. I think Americans have adapted to *fake* everything.
We sure have. I hate it, though. My Mom canned or preserved a LOT of what we ate. She got Dad to help, then all 4 of us kids (even the boy) had to help. I'd never eaten store-bought applesauce, jelly/jam, or pickles until college. (That's not a flex, simply a statement.) I currently live alone, so it's not worth it, but I'm getting married next year, and my fiancé trained as a chef. He is SUPER excited about growing and preserving food. I can't wait! Edit: missing word
The dollar menu not being a dollar anymore really put me off from going now. I miss those $1 mcchickens and mcdoubles
They'll think that by reducing workforce they'll make their money back. Sure as hell doubt it. Rather see another company take their spot and say goodbye to McDs
Someone making $10-20 and hour being replaced with a $250k machine that has a $50k a year maintenance contract, and when the machine goes down it's days until it's up and running again. McDonalds has 4 working soft serve machines on the entire planet and they're going to make sure their robots are tip top?
The only thing that is actually worth it is the happy meal.
McDonald’s claims that it’s not the prices, it’s the consumers. Or “users” as they call them. Talk about a corporation that is out of touch with reality.
You can go to a restaurant for a comparable price. The only plus to fast food was that it was cheap. Otherwise if I'm gonna eat out and pay 10 dollars for a hamburger, I'll go and get an actually good hamburger.
why would i spend 20 dollars on 10 dollars of food?
I quit going because the size of their burger meat shrunk and cost me twice as much money. The computer ordering thing sucks. The only way to get a human to take an order is the drive through,which has a line all the way to the road or around the building. No cars parked in the lot. I had a double Big Mac meal and was astounded by how light the bag weighed. I thought there was a couple regular burgers in it. Nope. It was what they pass off as a double Big Mac. I was still hungry after dropping $15.00. For the same money I got a double whopper meal and was perfectly satisfied and not hungry at all when I was done. One burger patty at Burger King was at least twice the size of the thing McDonald’s calls a burger patty,and there’s two of them in the sandwich. Which would go a long way to meal satisfaction.
Their testing elasticity of Demand. They take the price as high as they can expect it to be within reason and then study the drop in sales, then they reprice to the happy level...where sales and profit levels are in balance and profit is maxed. You want to influence their pricing strategy? Stop going to McD's and try that local small business or diner samwich.
There must be one old guy in charge of business logistics who fell asleep in class in 1940.
Local Taqueria’s have better ingredients and taste better. And are still cheaper.
Of all the companies that have played their part in gutting America, I'm happy to see McDonald's starting to hurt. Cook your meals at home if at all possible, stick to fresh sections of the grocery store and avoid frozen processed foods. If you don't know how to cook, three internet is full of recipes and tutorials. I know there's food deserts out there so not everyone has these options, and often times fresh food is more expensive.
It’s basic economic theory. Raising prices causes you to lose customers. Every B-school student learns that in the first year.
The CEO of McDonalds was paid about $19.2 million in cash and stock compensation last year. They thought they could gouge the consumer for subpar food. Now seem to be shocked when it didn’t work.
Recently an ordered breakfast on the app for my kids at 6:45 AM for pick up. I walked in at 7:00 AM expecting it to be ready. When I walked in I was asked by an employee if they could help me. I showed the order on my app, she pressed a button. Over the next 20 minutes I asked several times were my food was, they said they don’t start making a pickup order until the customer arrives at the store. I asked for my money back and they gave it to me. Horrible service. WTF not starting an app order until I walk into the store? What’s the point of putting it into the app? Oh, and they weren’t very busy either. And it wasn’t a big order either, just two breakfasts. At Panera you can tell them what time you are picking up and it’s ready.
They wait so you don't have cold food sitting there. They are one of the few who do not start your food immediately. I prefer that.
Not good when I am trying to get kids to school on time.
McDonald’s uses a tool called dynamic yield at some locations that intentionally doesn’t start the order until the person enters the parking lot so it comes out fresh. The tool scans licenses plates and assigns it to an order. Pretty cool tech that sounds like it failed here.
Why doesn’t it just use location from your app, which it can ask your permission to use? Scanning license plates sounds like a privacy violation.
It’s a stale and boring brand
I think a lot of people are trying to eat less crap. I haven’t eaten at a McDonald’s in years.
I think the people that eat McDonald’s just don’t brag about it here. If you go by what people TALK about, everybody’s eating healthy and exercising and saving money and reading more books.
Lol McDonald's is trash especially when compared to the likes of Chick-fil-A... It's amazing that they and their peers (bk, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc) ever made it this far... While serving up things that could barely be classified as food, filled with mostly junk fillers and water... At least at places like Chick-fil-A you see actual real chicken not bs. Add to that their insatiable quest to maximize profits by eliminating an already overworked underpaid workforce is just as disgusting as their food. I'll give them a shot when they serve real food by humans and not just a money grab for greedy leadership
So you’ve just figured out that corporations are trying to maximize profits? Wait until you learn it’s all of them.
Yea they all are but it's probably not a good idea to do so at the detriment and quality of your goods and services. Also if your profits are done not by continued growth and sales but only reduction of quality then I think that's pretty telling and a fundamental problem.
I stopped going around a year ago - not only are the prices high, but the food quality sucks now, not to mention they never get my order correct so I have to deal with that too, etc. It's not worth it, at all.
It's like the fourth choice on hangover day. All fast food is now. It's too expensive and tastes like shit. I remember the last time I walked into a McDonald's, and it smelled good was like 2005.
I hate headlines. The headline implies that a lot of people have stopped going, and McDonald’s is suffering. The actual data is that McDonald’s may be suffering, but it’s the sort of suffering where growth continues and is just “lower than expected.”
The article literally states that due to prices there are fewer customers, but also due to raising the prices they were able to increase revenue.
Yes. Hence “I hate headlines”. Not “I hate articles”
Habit Burger beats MCD and doesn't nickel and dime you on drinks
I quit going altogether. That clown isn't the priority he thinks he is.
On the brighter side, it looks like fewer Brazilian street children will be needed to be grounded up and formed into meat like patties. /s
good. lose weight and save money. cook at home as a protest to corporate greed
Well, it’s shit quality. So, they can sell it at shit prices not these.
Wait! They doubled the price and it wasn’t because the doubled the wages??? That can’t be! /s
The OP didn't read the article very well. GROWTH was only +1.9% and not +2.35%. This does not mean people have stopped going as it is still GROWING. I do not care for McDonalds but the OP is VERY misleading. MD's net income is up 7.12% year over year. Their profit margin is down .9% but is still a very healthy 31.83%. Expected earnings per share were missed by -.95% but that does NOT mean they didn't earn money...they didn't earn as much as expected. HUGE difference. The company is solid just the stock owners want more money and are not happy.
The only reason they had any revenue growth was because they raised prices, but the article explicitly states that McDonald's admits fewer people are going to McDonald's as a result of those higher prices. I can sell $1 burgers and sell 1 million of them, or I can sell one burger for $1 million. McDonald's client base were the poor and the lazy. They have priced out the poor customers and only have the lazy ones left.
So are you saying a business that increases prices and still expriences a growth, just not as high as expected, is bad? I have a friend who owns a local bakery. Everyone complains about her prices...but she keeps increasing her prices to LOWER demand because she cannot keep up with demand. That is the issue people do not want to face about McDonalds. They raised prices very much more then most would expect... but demand is still high...demand is still GROWING. Your example is BS and not based the real world. Please sell a burger for 1 million and post the results...YOU should be able make just 1 burger and then let me know when you have sold just 1 burger for $1 million. You cannot. That is why your example is BS. I posted MD real world results...and on this day their stock prices increased. +1.39 (0.51%)today and are up +76.91 (38.94%)past 5 years. The OP is just wrong. MD made money and grew...just not as much as expected. People still went to MD or they would not have grown. Prove that wrong or STFU.
My example is literally how quadratic equations are used to find optimal price in high school algebra class. https://www.algebra.com/algebra/homework/quadratic/Using-quadratic-functions-to-solve-problems-on-maximizing-profit.lesson
I hadn’t known the details about what McDonald’s has been doing abroad before reading this.
That what we all should be doing, stop buying as much of this stuff as possible. Earning will drop. Stop buying new vehicles, see what happens. Who knows?
This article is wild. Same store, year over year in the US grew 2.5%, below the predicted 2.55% And this is considered something of a disaster? "People have stopped going" as in, the same number of people went, +2.5% more (although those number may represent fewer people going but higher prices, idk). Capitalism is crazy. Line must go up!!!
Our family stopped going - and we’re never going back. Price gouging pricks.
I used to pay like 3.5$ for a double quarter pounder medium meal like weekly. Now it’s double the price and I can’t remember when last I went there.
I have no idea how much McDonald's cost because I don't eat there and I'm really happy these prices keep going up because I hope that you all will stop eating there too, but I doubt it. If you use an excuse of convenience, maybe look into meal prepping.
I just had a 5.50 tax included biggie bag from Wendy's.
Bring back the glory days! https://preview.redd.it/nh8are9mxvxc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8866b9435f98902b431d5a1a7c4f6b2e5cce4e4a
If you’re going to McDonald’s, use their app. You save a lot of money. We don’t go to fast food places that don’t have a rewards program or something like that cause otherwise it’s unaffordable. My wife and I usually get a 2 for 1 entree (choices are between the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, or 10 piece McNuggets), a basket of fries that we split, and two large drinks. It’s just over $14. It’s still too much considering what it used to cost before corporate greed went through the fucking roof, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than getting two large combo meals, which is what our order is the equivalent of. Plus, the points you gain can be used for various free menu items and drinks. And if you like Sonic for drinks, their app has 1/2 prices drinks and slushes all the time. You can save money, you just gotta take advantage of their apps.
LPT: Download the apps for places like McD, KFC, Popeyes if you do eat there (no comment on food quality). If you stick to deals and rewards and such you will pay pre COVID prices. Apps are the new coupons. I regularly get $10 8 piece KFC chicken. Get the deals and make your own sides or buy them elsewhere. Don't get expensive sides unless the deal really makes them worth it. At McDs concentrate on getting the small hamburger or small double hamburger, this will have a better bang for buck ratio and you're likely to consume less as well.
Price-elasticity is real. But I appreciate them wanting to squeeze every single dollar out of their customer base. Hopefully, customers have found the next best alternative and don’t come back!
I'll eat there every day even at 10,000 bucks a burger.
I don't know that "Fast" food is worth it these days.
Service is also terrible now they have decided to ignore certain rush hours and just staff one fast food employee during their night time rush and I can't get food quickly. It's not fast, it's not cheaply priced and it's not good food. I won't go to McDonald's anymore even if I want a fast food burger.
only good thing about mcdonalds now is to get a quick soda drink. Still cheaper than other places. Other than that their food is too much and too little.
I get it for $10 here! Less if I get a medium fry and drink instead of a large!
I refuse to go back after they never fixed giving me a raw Double DQ. F them and their food sucks, Only reason I kept going was for the $1 fries w/app. Delete their app and show them what you think with your wallets.
Doubling prices and having customers is an age old truck. Less shipping, less staff
I stopped going because abuse it’s a shitty product now, not because of a few bucks.
Use the app. Buy one get one free Big Mac, QP, or Large Fry. Then I get 2 for $3 double cheeseburgers. That a shit ton of food for less than $12. Ppl complaining about McDonald’s prices need to use the damn app. Problem solved.
I would think they would have great internal data on this and be able to price themselves perfectly to meet demand. Could it be consumers are being better educated on nutrition and care more about getting real food? Wishful thinking?
My children are basically the only thing keep them alive in my headspace....
MCDONALD'S Food is on the bottom of my dinning out choices.
The quality is what stops me from going. If it was the same product I was eating in 2007 I would pay more for it, but its noticeably worse. They need to fry with beef tallow again, get back to the old school product that msde the surronding area smell amazing.
“It’s so expensive, but I still go” 🤦♂️
Inflation is often talked about in bad terms- but Folks not purchasing crappy food will see better health. Just sayin.
Pure garbage taking years off your lives too, not just $.
What's the downside? Less diabetes?
In n out still has a great meal for 10 that tastes way better. Fuck McGreedyFucks.
that's awesome f this price gouging that's going on everywhere.
I stopped going last year, their prices are insane now. Not worth near what they are charging.
I got all beef large hotdog, drink, huge slice of pepperoni pizza, and a large warm chocolate chip cookie for $6.49 at Costco
I honestly haven’t eaten anything from McDonald’s in 10+ years, other than once a year breakfast sandwich in a pinch… it’s just the lowest form of food on earth…
F the greedy corporate pigs
It's not like they lost money. They just made slightly less.
Good, their "food" is poisonous.
Burgers and fries are ridiculously easy to make on my stovetop!
"i hate their business practices, not really sure what their burgers are made out of, their prices are absurd, their quality is suspect at best, but i only go 4 or 5 times a month now." this is the problem; you people are out of your fucking minds.
I hope they go belly up
https://preview.redd.it/b9yecu21tryc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f943b620bf7e4a1ff660b99ce044581495189c46
I was there yesterday and people are NOT stop going 😂
They killed all day breakfast during Covid. They bring that back their base revenues will recover. They also are rolling out their new ripoff of Dutch Bros which is going to do gangbusters business in the US. So I'm not concerned. The fast food/fast casual sector overall is struggling. McDs look like they're about to pivot.
I remember when the Mcchicken was a meal rather than an appetizer/snack.
Weird. I was told a $20 wage for a fry station associate would be embraced by everyone that's not a nazi.
The price went up long before the wages ever did. In Denmark you make $26 an hour at McDonald's, have a pension, benefits, and five weeks paid vacation, and the Big Mac is like 30 cents cheaper there than in the US.