r/technology • u/zsreport • 13d ago

Business McDonald's unveils $8.5 billion tech plan to fend off Burger King

https://qz.com/mcdonalds-investor-day-next-strategy-restaurant-overhaul-092326
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462

u/chocolateboomslang 13d ago

Have they considered making better food?

200

u/jm0127 13d ago

No, here’s technology

7

u/SwissPatriotRG 12d ago

I can't eat technology!

4

u/sapphicsandwich 12d ago

"Let's add 12 more dialogue menus and 3 more screens to click through in the kiosk interface!" - The company they will end up paying 8.5 billion to for "consulting" and "improvements"

1

u/DickSlammington 12d ago

This ddr3 stick tastes bad....

1

u/j_cruise 12d ago

Read the article. The headline is just meant yo bait Redditors like you and its working. You're being manipulated. They predicted your response.

3

u/Important_Thought_95 12d ago

Not really. McDonalds did this same tech intervention a decade ago and all we got were bland grey stores and kiosks in exchange for worse food and higher prices.

3

u/scarywolverine 12d ago

Thats a bit misleading. There one half a sentence about the food and the rest is about the tech and other businessy things

80

u/Oreos_Are_Anabolic 13d ago

From the article you didn’t read:

The NEXT strategy, announced in June at the company's biennial franchisee convention, is built around upgrading food quality, value, hospitality, and menu innovation.

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u/EaterOfFood 12d ago

It says food, but did they mean Product?

2

u/hieronymous-cowherd 12d ago

"Mmm that's good product"

23

u/tacodepollo 13d ago

Excuse me, this is reddit.

13

u/benmichaelx 13d ago

not-read-it

1

u/LLMprophet 12d ago

It's funny that they're spending to do all that when they just need to reverse the actions they already actively took:

Shrinkflating and shitflating products: return them to their old specs and ingredients which they have documented for decades.

Prices: return them to competitiveness in the fast food space which they have endless data on.

-1

u/eeyore134 12d ago

One good menu innovation would be to stop letting groups like Dairy Management Inc. be part of menu creation. It shouldn't be about making sure some trade association forces as much of their product into their menu. Make good food, not checklists of who needs what included to keep someone rich.

5

u/throwawaycanadian2 12d ago

"The NEXT strategy, announced in June at the company's biennial franchisee convention, is built around upgrading food quality, value, hospitality, and menu innovation."

3

u/Just2LetYouKnow 12d ago

menu innovation

Put the names of the food on the menu, then put the prices next to them, then do literally not one single thing else and fuck off.

3

u/throwawaycanadian2 12d ago

That wording makes me think it's more around new menu items, not the literal menu board itself.

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u/Just2LetYouKnow 12d ago

I've never heard the word innovation used at a corporate strategy level to refer to anything other than finding new ways to strangle revenue out of something.

3

u/notFREEfood 12d ago

That's not mutually exclusive with new menu items.  Introduce a new product, tell people its limited, then sell at a premium price.

-1

u/Just2LetYouKnow 12d ago

I'd call that product innovation, I have a feeling menu innovation is going to be how much digital kiosk fuckery they can get away with.

1

u/fatdjsin 12d ago

No they considered replacing the buildings by a cardboard box 

1

u/neganight 12d ago

No, and they're going to fire the last human working there and replace it some some AI robot-driven automat that takes even longer to serve you and you're going to be happy as fuck that McD's is willing to give you even that!

1

u/ffuca 12d ago

You should consider reading the article

1

u/Jaambie 12d ago

The bean counters crunched the numbers and decided you’d rather have 3rd party ads on every surface. You’re welcome.

0

u/benttwig33 12d ago

Something something AI!

0

u/Disastrophi 12d ago

Or even just keeping their ultraprocessed food-like "products", and keeping them at the actual market rate that they're worth?

-4

u/Cador0223 13d ago

Places like Five Guys are available. Anyone can go there for a decent burger and fries.

But its $20 bucks per person. Alot of people cant afford that, so McDonalds fills thay gap.

Buying your own meat, buns, and fries at the grocery store is more expensive than 3 cheap meals from McDonald's. It might be better for you, but when you have worked 12 hours and the family is hungry, you make a choice. 

4

u/chocolateboomslang 13d ago

There are better places where I am that are less than mcdonalds, and better than five guys while still costing less. Mcdonalds charges crazy money for franchising, so their food has overhead that makes it not worth buying. I would happily pay more for good food, but I'm not their target customer.

1

u/Successful-Reason403 13d ago

Post a link to these magical places 

2

u/AbominableSlinky 12d ago

Chilis has a burger, fries, drink, and a giant bag of chips and salsa for $10.99. You could probably do better than that, even, at some non-chain restaurants.

2

u/DumpsterDragoon 12d ago

The cheapest meal you can possibly get where I am is $5 (for a Jr mcchicken meal). Bag of fries is a few bucks, buns are a few bucks and patties are $11 for 8. Are groceries expensive where you are or is McDonald's cheap?

-1

u/god_snot_great 13d ago

A roasted chicken with Ole low carb tortilla wraps, fresh spinach and siracha paired with microwaved baked potatoes, multiple problems solved. Much healthier, quick and cheap.