Insights

The McChronicles spoke with a multisite McDonald's owner recently. We were told these interesting tidbits:1) the total units of chicken-based items sold is expected to exceed the beef-based units sold in September 2005. This would mean that McDonald's would become a predominantly chicken store (versus a hamburger store). We are looking for information on this to verify if it is true.2) the new Premium Chicken sandwiches (joining their line of Premium...

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A Premium On Premiums

McDonald's has been working hard to bolster their Premium menu in 2005. According to a recent corporate press release that appeared on 19 July and quoted Ubong Ituen, McDonald's Sr. Director of Menu Management, we can expect to be enjoying a line of Premium Chicken Sandwiches in 2005.The press release stated, "Beginning August 2, McDonald’s - the nation’s leading seller of chicken sandwiches - will debut three new Premium Chicken Sandwiches in restaurants nationwide. The Classic, Ranch BLT and Club join McDonald’s growing premium chicken portfolio,...

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McDonald's Rules The Blogosphere

Market research company Umbria Communications has released results from a recent study. One major point stands out: 41% of all fast-food mentions in over 10 million blogs mention McDonald's. This is more than twice as many as the #2-mentioned fast food purveyor mentioned. CMO Magazine's website provides a little data from this report (chart copyright Umbria Communications).It is clear that people (especially bloggers) are tuned in to McDonald's....

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Not Pretty By The Bay

A McChronicles mission sampled the atmosphere in a San Francisco McDonald's this week. What was found was really irksome. While the store was well posted as being in the midst of a renovation, it was still a dump. Unrelated to the wallpaper upgrade was the overflowing garbage, cleaning equipment, and a stack of food supplies sitting out in the open, blocking the stairs , for the entire duration of the visit.Part of any dining experience is the ambiance....

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South Utica, NY Delivers On The Promise

Line Wait: 45 secondsOrder Wait (one hamburger, small Coke): 45 secondsCleanliness: GoodService: Good (a bit impersonal)Quality: GoodTime: 1PMA quick visit to the Genesee St. South Utica restaurant offered some great experiences on the day before Utica's biggest event, The Boilermaker. The store looked super (it offers a spacious, open view of the nicely-treed intersection of Genesee St. and the Memorial Parkway, right on the route of the continent's largest 15k race).During this visit we were treated to good fast food, and we also got to enjoy...

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New Hartford, NY Had A Bad Day (amended title)

The birthplace of the McChronicles. The muse of our angst. So recently feted for being awesome. So quick to fall from grace.The McChronicles hosted a focus team of 16- and 17-year old boys for lunch at the Route 5 New Hartford store today. In short - DISASTER!First impressions:very messynon-crew-appearing person doing some form of clean-up, shouting, not really cleaning anythingLINE WAIT: 25 secondsORDER WAIT: 90 secondsORDER ACCURACY: one order...

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You Look Mahvelous!

The Chicago Sun Times reports that McDonald's is looking to update their uniforms. Yes!And, in a related comment, the Motley Fool website rightly states, "...if McDonald's really wants customers to think of its restaurants as hip, its most powerful weapon may be its employees. "The McChronicles recently hosted a focus group of teenagers at a McDonald's lunch. As the group watched a crew member exit the store, the discussion turned to the uniform....

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And The Winner Is ...

Congratulations to our friends from The Netherlands who were the first to get "The McChronicles" to appear on the Flickr image section of the McChronicles. As you will recall from a previous posting, the McChronicles offered a prize for the first person to get our name to appear on the image service we use in our left-hand column. Here it is, in full color, the 2nd picture from the top. Yes, its small, but trust us, its the real thing - and we LOVE...

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New Hartford, NY Looks Great!

Several recent visits prove that this restaurant exhibits consistency in order and thematic quality. One McChronicles observer stated that, "if someone told you that you were in a city bistro, you would believe it."Good job New Hartford. Keep the maintenance up and pay attention to the floors. You've got a good thing goi...

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