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The Downfall of McDonalds
The cause is stupidly simple
We’ve heard it for years now — revenue at McDonalds is down because customers are eating healthier, there are better alternatives, or people don’t have enough money. While Mickey Ds is still an international powerhouse and going strong, it’s clear that both it and many of the other fast food chains aren’t as dominant as they once were. And I have a better explanation than any of the usual talking points I mentioned above:
McDonalds has turned into a shithole.
I was watching The Founder on the weekend and it took me back to my time working under the golden arches as a teenager. I worked there for a year and a half back in the late 90s and still remember it like it was yesterday. I compare that with what Maccas looks like now, and it’s completely different.
In short, everything that was good about McDonalds is now gone.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. McDonalds was never gourmet or some kind of transcendent experience — you always knew what you were getting was cheap but also scratched a certain itch that most of us have when we buy it. What separated McDonalds back in the early days all the way until a few years ago, however, were a few really important things:
- Consistency
- Cleanliness
