Dessert Kiosks

The McChronices is in China, reviewing the practices that McDonald's is implementing in this important and unique market. One observation has to do with an attempt at market segmentation.In China, two elements of life are critical: speed and money. People need and expect extremely fast service. They simply will not wait too long for anything. There are way too many alternatives for almost every product or service - a customer can easily replace any...

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Blinding Speed

Business is TOUGH at busy locations. And you don't get much busier than at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Customers won't stand in line for much under travel conditions, and often they CAN'T afford to wait.To maximize profits, the McDonald's in this airport have to be super-fast. The McChronicles is always impressed with the speed of service, AND with the quality of the food, at O'Hare. We sampled the service by ordering a Big Mac in Terminal...

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Moichindising!

What Mel Brooks fan can forget the line in Spaceballs (The Movie) where Yogurt says,"Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs the T-shirt. Spaceballs the lunchbox. Spaceballs the coloring book. Spaceballs... the flamethrower! Kids love it. And my favorite, Spaceballs the Doll -- me!"Of course, Yogurt, as played by Mel Brooks himself, goes deep into character and delivers all his lines with a quaint Brooklyn/Yiddish...

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Focus On South Utica

A focus group of twenty-something males met at the South Utica (Utica), Genesee St., NY, USA restaurant (store #18030) for lunch today. Here is the consensus:Quality: The food was warm and good. One young man was stunned to see how small the cheese was on his filet-o-fish. We chalk that up to his unawareness, not to a local issue.Service: Quick. The crew was neutral to friendly.Cleanliness: It was well-after 1PM on a Friday, still, the customers...

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Looking Good

A friend of The McChronicles has shared a few images of new interior designs coming out of Europe (from the McDonald's Netherlands website). Thanks JW.We understand from reports that this site, in the south eastern part of Amsterdam on the Muntberweg, LCD screens, digital menu boards, a wireless hotspot, and more.It is great to see that McDonald's continues to push hard in their evolution. The McChronicles feels they are doing a wonderful job of...

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Murals

Some McDonald's restaurants have murals painted on the interior walls.Here is an example of a great work that can be found in the Johnstown, NY McDonald's. We were reminded of these creations by a Flick'r posting that appeared on our site recently. It's worth a click.Send in your images of cool murals that appear in a McDonald's. If we get a few we'll post them up in a gallery.Image: McChronic...

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GOLDEN ARCHES ALIVE: Shades of "Hilltop"

Here's a chance to make history!According to a media alert from The McDonald's Operators of the Capital District appearing on Empire Information Service's website, "The internationally recognized symbol of McDonald's - the Golden Arches - will be formed by people dressed in golden ponchos at the Riverfront Park in Albany to celebrate McDonald's partnerships in the community. One of the McDonald's restaurant owners, Pat Arnott, will be flying her...

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A Work Of Art, In Clay

A McChronicles team paid a visit to the Clay, NY McDonald's and had a great experience. Beautiful woodwork, metal accents, ceramic (marble-like) tiles, a "reading room"-like area, and flat-panel TVs are offered in hopes of making this experience one to blog about. We were particularly impressed by the very clean and well-appointed rest room facilities. We weren't quite able to determine the proper description for the motif ... is it Victorian? Art...

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Sayre Smile

The McChronicles hit the Sayre, Pennsylvania McDonald's (store #1888) today. The restaurant was clean and friendly. The theme is the beautiful Susquehanna Valley, with its nostalgic train routes, bucolic farms, wooded hillsides, and, of course, the lovely river. The service was "average" and the food was prepared to perfection.Image: The McChronic...

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Good Horse Sense

The McChronicles dropped in for an evaluation of the Wilton, NY McDonald's. Since this restaurant is just north of the famed Saratoga Race Track, the theme is horse racing.This restaurant was busy during the mid-week lunch rush, yet appeared clean and tidy. Service was fast - and the location is excellent (very convenient for driving to and from anywhere in the region). We witnessed a healthy mix of families, teens, travelling salespeople, and contractors...

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Counter Intuitive

Isn't it a little counter intuitive to think that, by performing your behind-the-scenes stock replenishment activities right at the sales counter, you would maintain or increase your brand in the eyes of your customer?What are they thinking in Johnstown, NY? A recent visit by The McChronicles found the customer with almost NO room to place and receive their order. Why? Because the crew was unpacking and handling condiments, sauces, napkins, etc....

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Awesome Presentation

The McChronicles paid two visits to the Johnstown, NY McDonald's recently. Both times we were delighted with a PERFECT sandwich presentation.So many times we are disappointed by sloppy condiment application and wrapping (see numerous previous postings). We're almost resigned to the fact that this isn't going to be addressed. THEN ... we encounter the Johnstown restaurant that delivers a perfectly prepared and wrapped Big Mac. Just to be sure, The...

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Rave Review

The Houston Chronicle's Ken Hoffman had these good words to say about the new McDonald's Premium Chicken Sandwich offerings: "I wouldn't want to be in Wendy's or Burger King's shoes when word about these sandwiches gets around."Read more from the Houston Chronicle.Image: Melissa Phillip, Houston ChronicleWhat is your opinion of these sandwiches? The McChronicles would like to know. Please comme...

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Special McD's

The McChronicles noted (in the Flick'r image section in our left-hand column) a beautiflu BISTRO McDonald's, reportedly in Del Mar, California. It reminded us of a really snazzy McDonald's we investigated in Naples, Florida. Though different, they both delivered a relatively high-end, classy experience.This image (posted on Flick'r) depicts stained and art deco glass treatments, as well as period tile flooring and interesting accents. The Naples...

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On The Right Track

The McChronicles has noted an increased emphasis on general cleanliness at the New Hartford, NY McDonald's. The key ingredient in this effort, of course, is the general awareness of, and emphasis on, improved cleanliness. ATTITUDE is everything - and it is showing in New Hartford.Image: New Hartford, NY InteriorIt is being backed up by a newly-added, dedicated clean-up person who is now seen patrolling the dining area. Customers LOVE clean tables,...

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Super SHRINK Me! (to the tune of -37 pounds)

"Inspired by the documentary "Super Size Me," Merab Morgan decided to give a fast-food-only diet a try. The construction worker and mother of two ate only at McDonald's for 90 days - and dropped 37 pounds in the process." This according to an article (requires free membership registration) that appeared today in The Mercury News.The McChronicles has refrained from commenting on Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me". Now we feel there is a legitimate...

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Arizona Manager Has The Right Spirit

The Wickenburg (AZ) Sun newspaper reports on a McDonald's manager who puts his heart and soul into the McDonald's customer experience. Mr Eric Harley leads by example, and according to the article, his staff follows. In The McChronicles' opinion, those that are following Eric's example are actually LEADING the industry.Read the article (it is easy to see that the interviewer was really impressed with the team spirit, performance, and enthusiasm that...

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New China McDonald's Planned

According to a report by Forbes' online news service:AFX News Limited McDonald's, KFC to open hundreds of new outlets in China this yearSHANGHAI (AFX) - KFC's and McDonald's China operations are planning to open hundreds of new restaurants this year, the National Business Daily said. The report said McDonald's China is planning to open at least 100 new outlets in a bid to boost profits after an 'unsatisfactory' first half. Major rival KFC said it...

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Attention To Detail

A McChronicles team recently dropped in and spot-tested the situation by purchasing one hamburger at 2PM, when the restaurant was nearly empty (little demand). Unfortunately, with all this going for them, the crew couldn't manage to deliver a neat, tidy burger.This is what it boils down to. The moment of truth. No distractions, nothing much else going on, and a customer asks McDonald's for one hamburger. If a company was going to shine, you'd expect...

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