A quick internet search for blog posts about McDonald’s reveals plenty of haters. And why not. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Haters hate on McDonald’s for a bunch of reasons, some reasons I found include:
- The customers are the worst
- It’s similar to things people give away for free
- It’s making people fat!
- Employees have bad days working there
Despite all that hate and debate, McDonald’s survives, grows, succeeds and is still an integral part of American consciousness.
Observations
“McDonald’s was there for me. When no one else was.” — James Franco
It’s important to note; not everyone has a bitter distaste for McDonald’s. James Franco famously praised it in a Washington Post Op-Ed. My personal experience is positive. My favorite part about McDonald’s? I always know what I am getting when I pay.
As a business traveler, I tended to prefer McDonald’s. In the airport, it always has the most people in line, yet the quickest moving lines. During the week, I usually could ‘save’ some expense money by grabbing a meal there, then splurge on a nice dinner and drinks later. But after receiving a gift card for McDonald’s, I found myself going to my local chains more frequently.
And then I started to observe things I didn’t anticipate — not everyone was obese, people weren’t unruly and the restaurants were clean.
After a few trips, I saw that the chains I went to are busy all day long. Forget the breakfast, lunch and dinner crowds. I tried to find an off time that doesn’t have a slow, steady line of people coming in. Sit at a McDonalds for 45 minutes and tell me there isn’t a demand for their product. Take a look at the line next time you’re at the airport.
For example, one day around 2:00 PM I sat there by the window and ate my lunch. In the eating area, there were two older couples. The first couple was enjoying two ice cream cones (in January), the second couple was enjoying pancakes. Amongst all of this, there was a steady line in both the drive-thru and at the register inside.
It led me to my conclusion: McDonald’s ultimately succeeds because it sells the two things American’s cannot seem to live without: Time and Money.
That’s right.
Time and Money.
Do you have any of those you would like to spare? I’ll take it.
When was the last time you didn’t cringe at the length of the line at Chipotle during lunchtime?
Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and yes Donald Trump are all self-proclaimed fans. And when I look at McDonald’s through the lens of time and money, it’s not hard for me to understand why.
When I plan my occasional trips to McDonald’s around this thesis, it all makes sense. I don’t go to McDonald’s because I want a delicious meal. Nor do I go to McDonald’s when I want to sit down and enjoy my company. I do however go there in a pinch, when I don’t have much time to spare or when I am just not interested in spending more than $5 for lunch (I get the #9, two cheeseburgers).
And now that you’re thinking about it — when was the last time you got out of Chipotle without spending at least $10 and 20 minutes? I cannot. Ever. I’m not trying to single out Chipotle; you can pick anywhere you would like and try to perform this exercise and beat McDonald’s. Think of it as a game. Good luck!
For Fun: Quick McDonald’s Timeline:
- 1955 — Ray Kroc opens his first McDonald’s in Illinois
- 1983 — Introduces the Chicken McNugget
- 1992 — Introduces the Supersize
- 2004 — Phases Out Supersize
- 2014 — Sales Fall vs. Chipotle’s Meteoric Rise
- 2018 — Share Price Hits All-Time High
Andrew Grill — I write about [Life. Personal Finance. Technology. Careers.]
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