How McDonalds Fixed Its Freshness "Problem"

John Lawn

Appealing to customers who want everything they eat to be "fresh" (we can dither over that definition at another time), McDonalds is reported to have spent 

A brief excerpt: "McDonald's won't talk explicitly about the 'Subway Buster' memo, but in an interview with CNBC in late April, Chief Executive Officer Don Thompson said this when asked about millennials' preferences: 'We're as vulnerable today as we have always been. Tastes have been changing..."

The article goes on ..."The McWrap is a fusion of the fresh and the machined. When a McWrap is made correctly, it's assembled in 60 seconds, and the lettuce and chicken peek out of the top, suggesting a farm-to-table freshness. It's also designed to fit in a standard cup holder: 65 percent of McDonald's customers order at the drive through."

There are lots of insights in this article of interest to onsite readers: not only about the other quickservice restaurant' products that McDonald's has positioned this sandwich to compete with, but also about how it developed and tested the line extension in the face of the great expense required to offer a new product in its huge, worldwide operations. 

Looking for a fascinating infographic? Check out the "Periodic Table of McDonald's." 

You can find this cover story in the July 8-14 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek or link to it here:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-03/why-the-mcwrap-is-so-important-to-mcdonalds