McDonald's to cut 8 menu items, intro Clementine Oranges in January

[GreatGazoo]

McDonald’s Corp. executives said Wednesday they will cut eight items from its menu in January as part of a broader effort to overhaul its service model to meet the needs of different type of customers.
...
In addition to cutting eight menu items, the chain will also reduce the number of Extra Value Meals it offers. Executives would not comment on which eight items and which Extra Value Meals are slated to be cut. Executives acknowledged that eight items is not many, considering the total number of items on McDonald’s menu, which has more than 100 offerings. Even executives could not definitively say how many items the chain sells.
...
Executives said they will work to once again become the top destination for families — a designation the chain lost this year amid intense competition from Atlanta-based chicken chain Chick-fil-A.

McDonald’s has already taken a big step in that direction by planning to include Cuties California clementines as a seasonal option in Happy Meals. In the days after that announcement, Twitter sentiment on the idea was 100-percent positive, Thompson said.

http://nrn.com/food-trends/mcdonalds-cut-8-menu-items-january

anyone seen the "create your taste" option at your local McD? Any good?

[KamaAina]

1. Chick-fil-A the top destination for families?!

Only certain kinds of families.

[branford]

6. Families that like fast food chicken?

Regardless of how many politically active liberals or conservatives feels about Chick-Fil-A, they are a distinct minority, and the vast majority of the population simply does not know or care about the politics of the restaurant chain's owners, for good or ill. They just like the chicken.

Implying that anyone or everyone who eats at Chick-Fil-A is conservative or ant-gay is not only totally inaccurate, but actually somewhat offensive.

It would be similarly ludicrous to suggest that everyone who shops at Whole Foods or Itunes or buys coffee at Starbucks is liberal or has pro-gay positions.

[KamaAina]

7. No, I'm implying that same-sex couples aren't welcome there

[branford]

9. The problem is that there's no actual evidence of such a pervasive claim.

Chick-Fil-A restaurants have homosexual employees, serve all customer regardless of sexual orientation or marital status, and comply with all anti-discrimination laws. The majority shareholders of Chick-Fil-A, however, admittedly have donated money to organizations that oppose same-sex marriage. Simply, the money spent by same-sex couples is as welcome at Chick-Fil-A as anyone else.

Of course, the above is a totally separate issue as to whether anyone, gay or straight, wants to patronize and support a restaurant whose profits might ultimately be channeled to individuals with political positions they do not support.

[Recursion]

2. The head of McDonald's US operations started as a fry cook and has never been to college

That's not directly relevant, but I think it's worth considering.

The corporate McDonalds outlets are actually pretty good restaurants that, as fast food goes, are decent places to work. They just have to do something about their franchisers.

[GreatGazoo]

3. Don Thompson? BS from Purdue in 1984

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Thompson_%28executive%29

or who?

McDonald's does some of the best employee training of any business. Very consistent product and customer experience in the corporate-owned locations.

[Recursion]

5. Sorry, "no college before he 'moved up'" (nt)

[underpants]

4. McDonald's problem is that kids think it is "gross"

My wife had lunch at school with our daughter and McDonald's came up in conversation. All the girls at the table said that it was "gross". I guess the how it's made videos have worked.

[Ykcutnek]

8. My 4-yr-old cousin won't touch the stuff.

Last edited Mon Jan 12, 2015, 03:37 PM - Edit history (1)

"EWW, THAT'S PINK SLIME"

[840high]

10. My grandsons love it.

[HappyMe]

13. My sons liked it when they were little too.

We didn't go all the time, so it was a treat.

I must have raised bad little Democrats, I guess.

[chrisa]

11. McDonalds plans to introduce real food to their menu?

It's a start, I guess.

Haven't had the stuff in years - same with Burger King, Wendy's, etc. Disgusting.

[Daemonaquila]

14. Notice they did NOT say that!

They're offering new customization, but they're not making claims about improving the core product - burger and chicken. I'm not a fast food fan, but at least some other chains make meat that tastes much better, like Whataburger's grilled chicken. McBurger scares me - it smells and tastes like McBurger, vaguely like masking tape, not beef.

A friend who used to go trucking cross country with his dog, which would eat anything that wound up in his bowl including a live frog that happened to bounce in once, got fed a McBurger once when my friend had to stop at a "last chance" place that had only a McDonald's and no dog food on the shelves. The dog ate the bun and toppings, but pushed the "burger" out of the bowl and left it. I always took that as a great story but questionably plausible until another friend brought her dog to work and fed him a McDonald's burger because she forgot dog food. Same thing - her dog ate the bun and toppings, ignored the "meat." She and I looked at each other and vowed never again.

[onenote]

12. They've been offering clementines in the DC area for a few months