A reader sent me a link to an article about how actor James Franco credits McDonald’s for keeping body and soul together when he was struggling financially. That’s not the point of this post, but here are some interesting quotes:
Actor James Franco has written a lengthy endorsement of his former employer, McDonald’s. Franco writes in a Washington Post op-ed that in the late ’90s he was a struggling actor living in Los Angeles. He was fired from a coffee shop and golf course and couldn’t find acting jobs.
He became desperate after his parents cut him off financially.
“Someone asked me if I was too good to work at McDonald’s,” Franco writes. “Because I was following my acting dream despite all the pressure not to, I was definitely not too good to work at McDonald’s.”
Franco says he began working in the drive-thru and practicing foreign accents on customers.
He was able to leave his job at McDonald’s after booking a Super Bowl commercial with Pizza Hut. Since then, he’s become one of the most successful actors in the industry, starring in The Interview, 127 Hours, and Spiderman. But Franco says he still feels affection for the fast food chain.
“I was treated fairly well at McDonald’s. If anything, they cut me slack,” Franco writes. “And, just like their food, the job was more available there than anywhere else. When I was hungry for work, they fed the need.”
Okay, that’s nice. It’s refreshing to see a Hollywood type who doesn’t consider McDonald’s an evil empire. (Full disclosure: I didn’t know who James Franco was until I read the article. It’s a sign of my impending decline into Old Fogeyhood. I see headlines about pop stars and think, “Who the heck is that?”)
But it wasn’t the article itself that caught my interest. It was a linked article about how McDonald’s plans to turn around its flagging sales:
McDonald’s unveiled on Monday its massive turnaround plan to revive business.
“Our recent performance has been poor. The numbers don’t lie,” McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said in a 23-minute video overview of the plan. “I will not shy away from the urgent need to reset this business.”
Easterbrook said the company would strip away layers of management, focus more on listening to customers, and act faster to adapt to consumers’ changing tastes.
McDonald’s same-store sales have fallen for six straight quarters in the US, where the company is battling a pervasive public perception that its food is unhealthy and over-processed. The chain has also been hurt by a series of food safety scandals in Asia, which contributed to a 15% loss in net income last year.
The company will be restructured into four market segments: the US; international lead markets (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, UK); high-growth markets (China, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands); and foundational markets (the remaining markets in the McDonald’s system).
McDonald’s will also refranchise 3,500 restaurants through 2018, bringing its total percentage of franchised restaurants to 90% from 81% globally. The restructuring is expected to save the company $300 million annually by 2017, according to the company.
Going forward, improving food quality will be a top priority, Easterbrook said.
There were paragraphs in the article about how the company plans to restructure, re-franchise, etc., to save money. I don’t know or care what those involve. It’s the food quality issue that I believe will eventually make or break McDonald’s.
When Super Size Me was released, there were gleeful predictions among fans that it would sink McDonald’s. I never believed that. The people who cheered Super Size Me didn’t eat at McDonald’s anyway. Meanwhile, I sincerely doubt anyone saw Super Size Me and said to himself, “Oh my gosh! So that’s why I’m fat – McDonald’s has been selling me too much food! Well, that’s it, I’m never eating there again.” While researching Fat Head, I talked to two different franchise owners (both owned multiple McDonald’s restaurants) who told me Super Size Me didn’t affect their sales at all.
Morgan Spurlock didn’t hurt McDonald’s, but I’m pretty sure the paleo movement has. That’s why the CEO talked about food quality, not quantity. The question is whether or not Mr. Easterbrook and the rest of the McDonald’s brass understand what food quality means to the public these days.
Despite what some people think, I have no relationship (financial or otherwise) with McDonald’s and rarely eat there. But it so happens that the day before these articles ran, Chareva and I had one those tight-schedule nights, both of us trying to get the girls to and from different activities while taking care of our own errands. So we ended up meeting at McDonald’s for dinner and a daughter-exchange.
I ordered one of the 1/3 pound sirloin burgers – minus the bun — and it was actually pretty tasty. Not grass-fed, of course, but I don’t expect to find grass-fed beef in most restaurants. I don’t even eat grass-fed beef all the time at home. I don’t believe grain-fed beef is bad for us; just not as good for us as grass-fed beef. So I was fine with the burger.
But then there are the other items on the menu: buns made from mutant wheat, skim milk (whole milk isn’t even available), salads with Newman’s Own salad dressing – main ingredient: soybean oil.
The girls split a small order of fries. I didn’t eat any. Because of the carbs? Nope. My diet is low-carb but not zero-carb, and I’ll happily eat a serving of potatoes now and then. But McDonald’s fries are fried in vegetable oil. As Nina Teicholz explained in her outstanding book The Big Fat Surprise, the vegetable oils used in fast-food restaurants these days may be even worse than the trans fats they replaced:
Gerald McNeill, vice president of Loders Croklaan, which is one of the country’s largest suppliers of edible oil, told me something scary. He explained that fast-food chains including McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s have swapped out hydrogenated oils and started using regular vegetable oil instead. “As those oils are heated, you’re creating toxic oxidative breakdown products,” he said. “One of those products is a compound called an aldehyde, which interferes with DNA. Another is formaldehyde, which is extremely toxic.”
Aldehydes? Formaldehyde? Isn’t that the stuff that’s used to preserve dead bodies?
He went on to tell me how these heated, oxidized oils form polymers that create a “thick gunk” on the bottom of the fryer and clog up the drains… Partially hydrogenated oils, by contrast, were long-lasting and stable in fryers, which of course is why they were favored. And beef tallow, McDonald’s original frying fat, was even more stable.
As I told Chareva over dinner, if McDonald’s ever went back to beef tallow for frying, I’d probably eat there more often. As it is, if we go out for burgers and fries (and we’re not pressed for time), we go to Five Guys – largely because the French fries are fried in peanut oil. They taste way better than the fries at McDonald’s, and while peanut oil isn’t the best of fats, it’s acceptable.
I don’t know what Mr. Easterbrook has in mind for improving food quality, but from what I’ve seen lately, McDonald’s is heading in the wrong direction. They still seem to think food quality means low-fat and low-cholesterol. Their big idea for breakfast is the Egg White Delight McMuffin. Egg whites? Seriously? Hell, not even the goofs on the USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee think egg yolks are a problem anymore.
They didn’t ask me (like I said, we have no relationship), but if they did, here’s what I’d tell the McDonald’s brass:
Yes, you’re losing sales to consumer concern about food quality. But that concern is driven by the paleo movement and the gluten-free movement, not the anti-fat hysteria of the 1980s and 1990s. If you want to bring back customers, forget the low-fat nonsense and try a few ideas like these:
- Announce that you’re returning to beef tallow for frying. Yes, The Guy From CSPI will throw a fit, but he’s old news and I don’t think people take him seriously anymore. There have been plenty of articles in both scientific journals and the popular press declaring that the war on saturated fat was a huge mistake. At the press conference, wave some of those around, along with a copy of The Big Fat Surprise.
- Ditch the skim milk and start serving whole milk. There is zero evidence that skim milk is better for our health, and plenty of evidence suggesting that full-fat dairy is better.
- Dump the Egg White Delight. Egg yolks are not and never have been a health hazard. If anything on an Egg McMuffin is a health hazard, it’s the wheat muffin. Which brings me to …
- Become the first fast-food restaurant chain to switch to gluten-free buns and muffins. We’ve tried the gluten-free buns by Udi’s, and they taste just like any other hamburger bun. Not everyone is going gluten-free, but plenty of people are. I promise nobody is going to demand buns with gluten in them. Yes, the gluten-free buns cost more, but what the hell, you’re McDonald’s. You’d be selling millions of millions of them, so I’m sure you can strike a good deal with a provider.
- No disrespect to Paul Newman, but get rid of the soybean-oil dressings. There are plenty of recipes out there for delicious dressings that use healthy fats like avocado oil and full-fat yogurt. I’m sure someone would mass-produce them if McDonald’s was the client. If I could get a chicken salad at McDonald’s and a quality dressing to go with it, I’d eat there far more often.
Yes, I know McDonald’s tried “healthy” options before that flopped. You all probably still have painful memories of the McLean Burger. But you see, those “healthy” options flopped because they tasted awful. People don’t go to McDonald’s to buy tasteless, low-fat food.
The changes I’m suggesting don’t punish anyone’s taste buds. In fact, they’d improve the taste of the food while simultaneously improving the quality.
Give those a shot, and Ronald McDonald may live to a ripe old age.
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I disagree with the idea that potatoes should be eaten only unpeeled. There is where the highest concentration of solanine there – the potato’s choice of a self-defense substance. While the amount is small , a solanine is toxic. Probably, some people more sensitive to it than others. I see it when observing my son – he experiences an easy to notice dip in his energy after eating unpeeled potatoes or a yucca fries . Now he avoids such foods for an obvious reason. He frequents a rock-climbing gym, and it gives him the opportunity to notice pretty accurately what gives him more energy and what makes him less able.
Many don’t complain on anything after eating unpeeled potatoes, but even more people will tell you that eating a white bread does them no harm.
Yup, we peel our potatoes for that reason. Can’t believe I used to eat fried potato skins.
I read somewhere that the problem is more competition with healthier fast food, Where I live, in the Denver area, we have Five Guys, Mad Greens (salads), Chipotle, Larkburger (gluten free buns, kale salads), Tokyo Joes (meats and steamed veggies, no carb options, stevia teriyaki sauce), Smashburger, you name it. I see these places really taking off and places like McDs, Burger King and Wendys suffering.
You’re right, people DO want healthier options that involve natural meats, gluten free and sugar free options, no carb or low carb options. That’s what these other fast-ish places offer.
And I think McD’s will have to move in that direction to reclaim their lost customers.
Wow, I had no idea that we had Five Guys in Colorado. Of course, I’m in the very SW area of the Denver Metro Area, so there still aren’t any close enough to frequent for me. Crossing my fingers, though. I just had Five Guys at the Atlanta airport on a recent trip, and it was fabulous.
How about McGrok’s. Coming to a neighborhood near you…
Just put Ronald McDonald in an animal-skin suit.
I don’t really care one way or the other, but it’s only a matter of time before one of the majors wakes up and makes a “healthy” bun alternative, as mentioned here:
–> http://ashsimmonds.com/2014/10/24/grilld-low-carb-superbun-burger-review/
Great post, Tom. I agree with you about this; if Mickey D’s would just use real foods instead of frankenfoods, I bet they’d see a surge in sales. They don’t even have to do this with all their restaurants; just try it in 5 or 10 first. I bet they’d be surprised.
I have to tell you, my hubby and I tried tallow fried potatoes for the first time this year. Tallow I rendered myself from a grass fed locally raised cow we bought. All I can say is OMG. There are no words to describe how unbelievably delicious that is! Just…. YUM.
Same goes for Chareva’s home fries cooked in lard. That’s why I think if McD’s had the guts to try this, it would work. Everyone would be talking about how awesome the fries are.
Tom, could you tell me how fries and potatoes fit into a low card diet? Do you regard them as an occasional permissible treat or ok to eat? I was under the impression that they were fully paid up members of the carbs = glucose = insulin response club. In the same bracket as bread, wheat, pasta and rice.
I was in Ireland last week and advised an Irish friend about the low carb way of eating and its benefits. When I added potatoes to the carb list, the pain was visible on my friend’s face. Giving up potatoes is a wrench for an Irishman! Not quite as bad as Guinness, but close.
Low carb doesn’t mean zero carb. During my fast-food diet, I averaged about 100 grams per day.
A potato is about 35 net grams, depending on the size.
Thanks Tom,
I like constructive comments (about the policy of existing multinational firms – that employ many people) much better than the simplistic “big corporations are evil” bashing on other nutrition blogs.
It’s a market economy, and they (corporations) will change if enough people will demand it, – and are willing to pay for it.
(in contrast to ideology driven government policy)
Yup, that’s the difference. Governments don’t have to respond to their “clients” to stay in business.
I completely agree with your thoughts on McDonalds and I believe if they took this advice they would definitely see a turn around in their sales. Unfortunately I am not sure if the big wigs are willing to admit that the people want these types of changes and instead are trying to fix the symptom and not the problem. On a side note I want to thank you Tom for your blog and making people feel like its okay not to be perfect in their diets 100 percent of the time. I have been low carb for a year and I sometimes get discouraged reading paleo and low carb purist blogs because it feels like unless I eat a certain way I can’t still be healthy. Thank you for being encouraging by realizing people can still be healthy even if their diet isn’t perfect 100% of the time.
Perfect is the enemy of good. I want people to adopt a good diet.
McDonald’s has already moved in that direction with their new chicken. It’s preservative free. But in honesty, I don’t think McDonald’s is really having that much of a problem. Consumer tastes are changing where people now want food that is more “natural”. McDonald’s will be fine for years to come even without a change; they just won’t be as dominant as before. Here’s changes I would consider if I were McDonald’s:
1. Change to coconut oil for frying. Animal fat is still thought of as unhealthy while coconut oil is all the rage right now.
2. Use olive oil as the base for dressings. Extra Virgin for Italian and “light tasting” for others. Maybe high oleic oil for ranch dressings to avoid a bad flavor.
3. Offer whole milk…they won’t get rid of Skim.
4. I don’t think McDonald’s will go gluten free because it’s kind of faddish and the health benefits are not entirely clear as compared to just ditching wheat altogether. However, I think they could offer smaller, thinner buns as a ways to cut carbs on their burgers.
5. Offer zevia in their fountain drinks. I know it’s not the best tasting soda but even having one regular cola option will improve their image. In fact, with McDonald’s resources and their supply of food engineers they could probably make their own Stevia/Erythritol based soda that would taste better than Zevia.
Those would be big improvements. But I want those fried cooked in tallow.
Coconut oil for deep frying = incredibly massive fire. That stuff has a REALLY low flash temperature.
Exactly. Perfect eating is expensive and offers very little in the way of health benefits. If all people did was ditch wheat, added sugar and consumed natural fats, you could probably get 90% of the health benefits of a Paleo diet. All the other stuff is jut fine tuning. I think people really underestimate the resilience of the human body. Most people chronically overeat the most harmful and unnatural foods they can almost everyday for decades and they don’t develop significant health problems until they are in their 50’s. A significant minority of the population will eat garbage their whole lives without major problems. Desserts, wheat and all sorts of bad stuff was available for centuries before people started getting fat. It just wasn’t the primary part of the diet. People started getting fat and sick in the late 70’s when we started constantly eating sugar and processed wheat flour all day and starting limiting real food and fat.
If your body is already broken the fine-tuning can be a big fat deal, though. Yeah, MOST people don’t need to obsess, but some of us are stuck.
The low-fat, low-cholesterol, chicken breasts and seed oil ship has been sailing for over 30 years and its cargo has been drilled into our heads for that long. It will take a while for the general population to re-think proper diet.
For starters, MacDonalds should join the ‘real food’ club and thus avoid being labeled as low-carb, low-fat, vegan, etc. That alone would be an advantage. Real food like Mother Nature made it. Not manufactured in a factory.
I believe, however, that the ship is turning faster than we anticipated, thanks to the wisdom of crowds effect kicking in.
Some day check out the ingredient list for MacDonald’s fries in the USA and those sold in the UK.
http://boingboing.net/2015/01/22/usa-mcdonalds-fries-have-14.html
Hmmm… maybe the fish and chips crowd knows something?!!?!?
Not an appealing list. They’ll sell more fries when the ingredients are potatoes, tallow and salt.
I was going to make a comment when I read this post earlier that having eaten at McD’s in both China and the UK, the food was far better at the establishments outside of the US. This is no doubt the reason why.
We still go there as a last resort when we’re out and about. Two double cheeseburgers each– no buns, no ketchup and extra onion and pickle. The quality’s hit or miss and the workers never seem too happy about having to put the burgers in bowls (I worked there in high school and it is a pain), but it works in a pinch.
if you have to eat out, check out Buffalo Wild Wings. All their fried food is cooked in lard. Real lard. They have to declare that for the veg*ans. And yes, very tasty.
Don’t their sauces contain HFCS and MSG (along with the other names for MSG)?
Some of them, yes. If a sauce is sweet, stay away from it. When in doubt, I use their rubs instead of their sauces.
OMG seriously?! I JUST FOUND MY NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT.
I don’t really care one way or the other, but it’s only a matter of time before one of the majors wakes up and makes a “healthy” bun alternative, as mentioned here:
–> http://ashsimmonds.com/2014/10/24/grilld-low-carb-superbun-burger-review/
I completely agree with your thoughts on McDonalds and I believe if they took this advice they would definitely see a turn around in their sales. Unfortunately I am not sure if the big wigs are willing to admit that the people want these types of changes and instead are trying to fix the symptom and not the problem. On a side note I want to thank you Tom for your blog and making people feel like its okay not to be perfect in their diets 100 percent of the time. I have been low carb for a year and I sometimes get discouraged reading paleo and low carb purist blogs because it feels like unless I eat a certain way I can’t still be healthy. Thank you for being encouraging by realizing people can still be healthy even if their diet isn’t perfect 100% of the time.
Perfect is the enemy of good. I want people to adopt a good diet.
As a former perfectionist, I came to realize that for me perfectionism was a form of self-loathing. It was a handy way for me to beat myself up and life has been infinitely better since I stopped doing that.
Good insight. You have define success so that it’s attainable.
McDonald’s has already moved in that direction with their new chicken. It’s preservative free. But in honesty, I don’t think McDonald’s is really having that much of a problem. Consumer tastes are changing where people now want food that is more “natural”. McDonald’s will be fine for years to come even without a change; they just won’t be as dominant as before. Here’s changes I would consider if I were McDonald’s:
1. Change to coconut oil for frying. Animal fat is still thought of as unhealthy while coconut oil is all the rage right now.
2. Use olive oil as the base for dressings. Extra Virgin for Italian and “light tasting” for others. Maybe high oleic oil for ranch dressings to avoid a bad flavor.
3. Offer whole milk…they won’t get rid of Skim.
4. I don’t think McDonald’s will go gluten free because it’s kind of faddish and the health benefits are not entirely clear as compared to just ditching wheat altogether. However, I think they could offer smaller, thinner buns as a ways to cut carbs on their burgers.
5. Offer zevia in their fountain drinks. I know it’s not the best tasting soda but even having one regular cola option will improve their image. In fact, with McDonald’s resources and their supply of food engineers they could probably make their own Stevia/Erythritol based soda that would taste better than Zevia.
Those would be big improvements. But I want those fried cooked in tallow.
Coconut oil for deep frying = incredibly massive fire. That stuff has a REALLY low flash temperature.
I have to agree with Jennifer here. Coconut oil is excellent for popping popcorn, but I certainly wouldn’t use it to deep-fry foods such as French fries. Beef tallow is far better suited to deep frying applications because it has a high smoke point (around 420°F, which is almost as high as peanut oil (450°F or so).
James
Exactly. Perfect eating is expensive and offers very little in the way of health benefits. If all people did was ditch wheat, added sugar and consumed natural fats, you could probably get 90% of the health benefits of a Paleo diet. All the other stuff is jut fine tuning. I think people really underestimate the resilience of the human body. Most people chronically overeat the most harmful and unnatural foods they can almost everyday for decades and they don’t develop significant health problems until they are in their 50’s. A significant minority of the population will eat garbage their whole lives without major problems. Desserts, wheat and all sorts of bad stuff was available for centuries before people started getting fat. It just wasn’t the primary part of the diet. People started getting fat and sick in the late 70’s when we started constantly eating sugar and processed wheat flour all day and starting limiting real food and fat.
If your body is already broken the fine-tuning can be a big fat deal, though. Yeah, MOST people don’t need to obsess, but some of us are stuck.
At least part of their slowdown probably has to do with the improving economy. The clientele I see at McDonald’s looks down at the heel, and that crowd has thinned out. (I go there because I’m cheap and because I can eat their food without getting sick–I don’t order fries and don’t eat the bun.) I don’t see many other places–even in Denver–offering much full-fat anything.
Since people don’t go to McDonald’s for health food, they might as well just drop the egg whites and granola and skim milk.
Yup, they should go full-fat all around. The taste will be better, and the foodies will be more likely to eat fries cooked in beef tallow.
Tom, as much as I’d like to see McDonald’s implement the changes you suggested, especially the one about going back to using beef tallow for their fried foods, I just don’t see it happening because I think that McDonald’s executives are more worried about it might do to the company’s image.
In addition, as you noted both in a recent post and also in Fat Head, people don’t go to fast food joints such as McDonald’s to eat healthy. They go to McDonald’s to eat the foods that they were originally famous for: burgers and fries.
I do have to say, though, that Five Guys is my new go-to place for burgers. I just recently tried them, and their burgers taste awesome. Their fries aren’t bad either, but they would taste even more awesome if they were cooked in beef tallow the way McDonald’s fries were back in the day.
James
That’s why I think my suggestions would work. They’re healthier options that actually improve the taste.
if you have to eat out, check out Buffalo Wild Wings. All their fried food is cooked in lard. Real lard. They have to declare that for the veg*ans. And yes, very tasty.
Don’t their sauces contain HFCS and MSG (along with the other names for MSG)?
Some of them, yes. If a sauce is sweet, stay away from it. When in doubt, I use their rubs instead of their sauces.
OMG seriously?! I JUST FOUND MY NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT.
At least part of their slowdown probably has to do with the improving economy. The clientele I see at McDonald’s looks down at the heel, and that crowd has thinned out. (I go there because I’m cheap and because I can eat their food without getting sick–I don’t order fries and don’t eat the bun.) I don’t see many other places–even in Denver–offering much full-fat anything.
Since people don’t go to McDonald’s for health food, they might as well just drop the egg whites and granola and skim milk.
Yup, they should go full-fat all around. The taste will be better, and the foodies will be more likely to eat fries cooked in beef tallow.
Tom, as much as I’d like to see McDonald’s implement the changes you suggested, especially the one about going back to using beef tallow for their fried foods, I just don’t see it happening because I think that McDonald’s executives are more worried about it might do to the company’s image.
In addition, as you noted both in a recent post and also in Fat Head, people don’t go to fast food joints such as McDonald’s to eat healthy. They go to McDonald’s to eat the foods that they were originally famous for: burgers and fries.
I do have to say, though, that Five Guys is my new go-to place for burgers. I just recently tried them, and their burgers taste awesome. Their fries aren’t bad either, but they would taste even more awesome if they were cooked in beef tallow the way McDonald’s fries were back in the day.
James
That’s why I think my suggestions would work. They’re healthier options that actually improve the taste.
As much as I like Panera’s Hidden Menu items, which are pretty clean, a lot of their sauces and toppings are loaded with wheat fillers, soy, MSG and other crap. I know a woman that says they, too, are headed towards cleaner items. I’d say start with the bread, but that would kill the brand…unless they do what Domino’s did and dropped “Pizza” from their name.
What’s their name after they drop “Panera”? “Panera” means “Bread bowl” or “Bread Box” in Spanish.
Besides if you eating bread you are either poor, or don’t care about health anyway.
re:
“I wrote the CEO Steve Easterbrook and told him…”
“Last month I sent an Email suggestion to the marketing department of McDonalds …”
“Unfortunately I am not sure if the big wigs are willing to admit that the people want these types of changes…”
… Okay, here’s why McD’s could still turn itself around — what these people say is not the last word.
It would be at IBM, Monsanto, Apple, GE, etc., etc. What ever “the brass” at most mega-corps say is the last word until they’ve run the company completely into the ground while drawing gazillion dollar salaries. Here’s the important part (even if The Younger Brother doesn’t care what it involves!):
“McDonald’s will also refranchise 3,500 restaurants through 2018, bringing its total percentage of franchised restaurants to 90% from 81% globally.”
See, if Tim Cook says something, everyone drawing an income from Apple is one of his employees. You can disagree, politely offer suggestions, maybe even whine loudly. But at the end of the day, it’s suck it up and do it or pursue a career elsewhere.
On the other hand, 90% of the people generating income for McD’s are NOT employees – they’re business owners. There are of course contractual obligations in the franchise agreements for quality levels, toeing the company line, etc., but when it comes down to the bottom line, you can not run a company if 90% of your income generators revolt and tell you to take a flying leap.
They don’t care what the experts or the focus groups or the Board of Directors or the consultants or The New York Times thinks – they can tell by looking at their cash register at the end of the day. And they’ve been a bit pissed off lately.
That’s why companies hate franchises.
That’s also why companies with franchises tend to stay more nimble. McD’s isn’t a monolithic corporation with 1.7 million employees with a small group of corporate “geniuses” doing all of the thinking. It’s got 3,100 small (and not so small) business owners who get to think about what’s best, too.
So, I’d direct my suggestions (and a link to this post!) to your friendly neighborhood franchise owner. Do it with a smile and after you’ve maybe ordered a Sausage Egg McMuffin and a coffee, so they’ll know you’re someone they care about, not some kale-munching scold. They’ll listen. And if enough of them hear it, they’ll tell Easterbrook, not the other way around.
Cheers!
Very sensible.
Just got back from a trip to the Oregon Coast. Food “out” is definitely changing. On the way, saw a shut-down Arby’s and a shut-down Wendy’s. Just … dead. Actually heard a lady ask in a restaurant, “Is the salmon farmed?” Bread, rolls, etc. do not appear automatically; you have to ask for them, or the waitperson asks if you want it. I’m guessing this is because they threw a lot of bread away. Praise be, VEGETABLES seem to be making a mild comeback. Even PF Changs has had a menu re-boot that emphasizes lower carb, higher veg, quinoa as a rice substitute. Also saw a menu re-boot at our local Mexican place. SLOWLY, food is becoming more real again, I’m guessing because people are asking for it, expecting it, and going where it is served.
Local Chinese restaurants around here have healthy alternatives and will hold the rice if you ask them to.
As much as I like Panera’s Hidden Menu items, which are pretty clean, a lot of their sauces and toppings are loaded with wheat fillers, soy, MSG and other crap. I know a woman that says they, too, are headed towards cleaner items. I’d say start with the bread, but that would kill the brand…unless they do what Domino’s did and dropped “Pizza” from their name.
What’s their name after they drop “Panera”? “Panera” means “Bread bowl” or “Bread Box” in Spanish.
Besides if you eating bread you are either poor, or don’t care about health anyway.
re:
“I wrote the CEO Steve Easterbrook and told him…”
“Last month I sent an Email suggestion to the marketing department of McDonalds …”
“Unfortunately I am not sure if the big wigs are willing to admit that the people want these types of changes…”
… Okay, here’s why McD’s could still turn itself around — what these people say is not the last word.
It would be at IBM, Monsanto, Apple, GE, etc., etc. What ever “the brass” at most mega-corps say is the last word until they’ve run the company completely into the ground while drawing gazillion dollar salaries. Here’s the important part (even if The Younger Brother doesn’t care what it involves!):
“McDonald’s will also refranchise 3,500 restaurants through 2018, bringing its total percentage of franchised restaurants to 90% from 81% globally.”
See, if Tim Cook says something, everyone drawing an income from Apple is one of his employees. You can disagree, politely offer suggestions, maybe even whine loudly. But at the end of the day, it’s suck it up and do it or pursue a career elsewhere.
On the other hand, 90% of the people generating income for McD’s are NOT employees – they’re business owners. There are of course contractual obligations in the franchise agreements for quality levels, toeing the company line, etc., but when it comes down to the bottom line, you can not run a company if 90% of your income generators revolt and tell you to take a flying leap.
They don’t care what the experts or the focus groups or the Board of Directors or the consultants or The New York Times thinks – they can tell by looking at their cash register at the end of the day. And they’ve been a bit pissed off lately.
That’s why companies hate franchises.
That’s also why companies with franchises tend to stay more nimble. McD’s isn’t a monolithic corporation with 1.7 million employees with a small group of corporate “geniuses” doing all of the thinking. It’s got 3,100 small (and not so small) business owners who get to think about what’s best, too.
So, I’d direct my suggestions (and a link to this post!) to your friendly neighborhood franchise owner. Do it with a smile and after you’ve maybe ordered a Sausage Egg McMuffin and a coffee, so they’ll know you’re someone they care about, not some kale-munching scold. They’ll listen. And if enough of them hear it, they’ll tell Easterbrook, not the other way around.
Cheers!
Very sensible.
Just got back from a trip to the Oregon Coast. Food “out” is definitely changing. On the way, saw a shut-down Arby’s and a shut-down Wendy’s. Just … dead. Actually heard a lady ask in a restaurant, “Is the salmon farmed?” Bread, rolls, etc. do not appear automatically; you have to ask for them, or the waitperson asks if you want it. I’m guessing this is because they threw a lot of bread away. Praise be, VEGETABLES seem to be making a mild comeback. Even PF Changs has had a menu re-boot that emphasizes lower carb, higher veg, quinoa as a rice substitute. Also saw a menu re-boot at our local Mexican place. SLOWLY, food is becoming more real again, I’m guessing because people are asking for it, expecting it, and going where it is served.
Yup, consumers drive the market. We don’t buy what producers sell; they sell what we’ll buy.
Local Chinese restaurants around here have healthy alternatives and will hold the rice if you ask them to.
” Unfortunately I am not sure if the big wigs are willing to admit that the people want these types of changes and instead are trying to fix the symptom and not the problem”
Kind of sounds like our entire medical/pharmaceutical system too, doesn’t it?
” Unfortunately I am not sure if the big wigs are willing to admit that the people want these types of changes and instead are trying to fix the symptom and not the problem”
Kind of sounds like our entire medical/pharmaceutical system too, doesn’t it?
Indeed.
Joe- I’m with you on the resilience of the human body! I take care of my 95 year old father, cooking his three meals every day. The man, in earlier years, grew all his own veggies, had them at every meal, and ate pretty well with the exception of loving bread of all kinds! When my mother died four years ago, veggies went out the window! Yep, no more of that crap for him- he probably trained George Bush on his dislike of broccoli! We found out he was eating veggies to keep my mother from nagging! Now, he eats a good breakfast- bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs with real cream in them and of course English muffins, which I wouldn’t eat. Then the rest of the day is a cr*p shoot as far as food. The things he does eat every single day of his life are two of those 4 oz. containers of chocolate pudding chemicals that Hunt’s sells and low fat yogurt with the sugary fruit in it. I know I won’t change him and I don’t try at all. If he wants to eat it, I get it for him. I fix meals that are good, but I include his beloved rice, potatoes and bread along with what I consider good for him.
My friend, who went low carb a couple of years ago at my suggestion and has now lost 100 pounds and become an EVANGELIST, keeps telling me I’m going to kill my father with the high carb, sugary food I let him eat. HUH? He’s almost 96 and I’m going to kill him letting him eat what he wants?? Nah… sometimes, at the end of the day, after a zillion trips getting this and that for him, I think this little old man might just attend my funeral clutching a container of Hunt’s chocolate pudding! Talk about resilience of the human body!!
If he’s 96, I say let him eat whatever the heck he wants to eat.
Thank you. My grandparents (who were born in the 20’s) ate a lot of non-paleo food. Who was eating paleo in the 50’s? What they did eat was a whole lot a real food, sprinkled in with some not so healthy food-products. They definitely didn’t fear fat and they didn’t snack on crap all day. Typical breakfast was coffee black with bacon and eggs (fried in the bacon grease) or oatmeal with whole milk. Typical lunch was either dinner leftovers or a small sandwich with plenty of mayonaise; maybe a hamburger sometimes. Dinner was usually some sort of meat, a potato dish and a fiberous vegetable from the garden (or canned in the winter). Occasionally, a very small bowl of ice cream was on the menu for dessert. Very little snacking in between meals. People stayed lean eating like that with very little metabolic syndrome. If people ate like that from childhood onward, we would be fine. Unfortunately, now so many people are metabolically deranged that they can only get back on track with a “perfect” diet. Look at Jimmy Moore. He has to do things that most of the population would never be willing to do just to keep his health in check. I really feel for him and I really can’t stand the ignorant, mesomorph vegans that criticize him.
Price and quality. For my family of four it cost $12 for the dollar menu items! get that! We just needed something small and $12 later… insane.. if I am going to spend $30 for a full meal I will just go somewhere else for the cost.
The I spent that much money for *that* syndrome. You see, they don’t want to sell stuff that satisfies, when they can make you want more, or just order more in the beginning. Higher fat especially saturated fat is satisfying, carbs not so much.
The ideas seem good, but I don’t think some of them will fly – Udi’s buns may taste good to you, but to me they taste awful – my wife eats them, somehow – and they are multiple times more expensive than a normal bun.
My local supermarket sells their brand 12/$1.79 ($0.14/bun), while Udi’s buns are 8/$6.99 – $0.87/bun. 6.25 times more expensive won’t fly for a budget restaurant. Skim milk isn’t as big a price cut versus whole, but across the chain it’d add up.
I think the key to success is *not* to market it as healthy, but rather to market it as *good*. A certain emphasis on wholesomeness is fine – market it as “good food that’ll fill you up and keep you going” but marketing it as “healthy” will turn off McDonald’s core market: people who want good-tasting cheap food. Chipotle markets their stuff as good for the Earth, which is fine, but they also emphasize how delicious, filling, and substantial it is. “Burritos so big you wanna ride ’em” … “The Stomach/Jaw Stretch” … “Usually when you roll something this good, it’s illegal.”
On the beef tallow, for example, it’d be risky for them to be like “scientists figured out this is okay, so we’re using it again!” Instead, if I was them, I’d market it as “we’re switching to a delicious all-natural recipe, which makes our fries crispier and more flavorful than ever.”
I agree it’s about the taste, which is why switching to beef tallow (as one example) would fly. The foodies will know that beef tallow is a healthier choice, while other consumers will just be happy about the improved flavor. But they should have the science at their fingertips to defend themselves against the inevitable charges that they’re killing people by cooking fries in beef tallow.
I’ve never found the flavor of McDonald’s buns to be all that appealing. Given the size of their market, I’m sure they could get a steep discount on gluten-free buns from some producer.
re: … the key to success is *not* to market it as healthy …
Actually, the whole food industry is going to have to avoid that word (healthy) until the FDA is reformed or abolished.
http://www.naturalnews.com/049643_Kind_bars_antioxidants_good_fats.html
I don’t endorse Kind bars (multiple issues having nothing to do with the FDA nonsense), but any bars I might endorse are quite likely not going to be able to describe themselves accurately.
This may well be a big part of why there are no acceptable LCHF or keto bars on the market today (Quest are not HF, and often kick people out of keto for reasons not entirely clear).
I tried Quest Bars and found I was eating too many of them. No doubt, because of the inadequate fat, just did not satisfy.
Can’t add more fat, the mass market would not accept them.
Joe- I’m with you on the resilience of the human body! I take care of my 95 year old father, cooking his three meals every day. The man, in earlier years, grew all his own veggies, had them at every meal, and ate pretty well with the exception of loving bread of all kinds! When my mother died four years ago, veggies went out the window! Yep, no more of that crap for him- he probably trained George Bush on his dislike of broccoli! We found out he was eating veggies to keep my mother from nagging! Now, he eats a good breakfast- bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs with real cream in them and of course English muffins, which I wouldn’t eat. Then the rest of the day is a cr*p shoot as far as food. The things he does eat every single day of his life are two of those 4 oz. containers of chocolate pudding chemicals that Hunt’s sells and low fat yogurt with the sugary fruit in it. I know I won’t change him and I don’t try at all. If he wants to eat it, I get it for him. I fix meals that are good, but I include his beloved rice, potatoes and bread along with what I consider good for him.
My friend, who went low carb a couple of years ago at my suggestion and has now lost 100 pounds and become an EVANGELIST, keeps telling me I’m going to kill my father with the high carb, sugary food I let him eat. HUH? He’s almost 96 and I’m going to kill him letting him eat what he wants?? Nah… sometimes, at the end of the day, after a zillion trips getting this and that for him, I think this little old man might just attend my funeral clutching a container of Hunt’s chocolate pudding! Talk about resilience of the human body!!
If he’s 96, I say let him eat whatever the heck he wants to eat.
Thank you. My grandparents (who were born in the 20’s) ate a lot of non-paleo food. Who was eating paleo in the 50’s? What they did eat was a whole lot a real food, sprinkled in with some not so healthy food-products. They definitely didn’t fear fat and they didn’t snack on crap all day. Typical breakfast was coffee black with bacon and eggs (fried in the bacon grease) or oatmeal with whole milk. Typical lunch was either dinner leftovers or a small sandwich with plenty of mayonaise; maybe a hamburger sometimes. Dinner was usually some sort of meat, a potato dish and a fiberous vegetable from the garden (or canned in the winter). Occasionally, a very small bowl of ice cream was on the menu for dessert. Very little snacking in between meals. People stayed lean eating like that with very little metabolic syndrome. If people ate like that from childhood onward, we would be fine. Unfortunately, now so many people are metabolically deranged that they can only get back on track with a “perfect” diet. Look at Jimmy Moore. He has to do things that most of the population would never be willing to do just to keep his health in check. I really feel for him and I really can’t stand the ignorant, mesomorph vegans that criticize him.
Price and quality. For my family of four it cost $12 for the dollar menu items! get that! We just needed something small and $12 later… insane.. if I am going to spend $30 for a full meal I will just go somewhere else for the cost.
The I spent that much money for *that* syndrome. You see, they don’t want to sell stuff that satisfies, when they can make you want more, or just order more in the beginning. Higher fat especially saturated fat is satisfying, carbs not so much.
The ideas seem good, but I don’t think some of them will fly – Udi’s buns may taste good to you, but to me they taste awful – my wife eats them, somehow – and they are multiple times more expensive than a normal bun.
My local supermarket sells their brand 12/$1.79 ($0.14/bun), while Udi’s buns are 8/$6.99 – $0.87/bun. 6.25 times more expensive won’t fly for a budget restaurant. Skim milk isn’t as big a price cut versus whole, but across the chain it’d add up.
I think the key to success is *not* to market it as healthy, but rather to market it as *good*. A certain emphasis on wholesomeness is fine – market it as “good food that’ll fill you up and keep you going” but marketing it as “healthy” will turn off McDonald’s core market: people who want good-tasting cheap food. Chipotle markets their stuff as good for the Earth, which is fine, but they also emphasize how delicious, filling, and substantial it is. “Burritos so big you wanna ride ’em” … “The Stomach/Jaw Stretch” … “Usually when you roll something this good, it’s illegal.”
On the beef tallow, for example, it’d be risky for them to be like “scientists figured out this is okay, so we’re using it again!” Instead, if I was them, I’d market it as “we’re switching to a delicious all-natural recipe, which makes our fries crispier and more flavorful than ever.”
I agree it’s about the taste, which is why switching to beef tallow (as one example) would fly. The foodies will know that beef tallow is a healthier choice, while other consumers will just be happy about the improved flavor. But they should have the science at their fingertips to defend themselves against the inevitable charges that they’re killing people by cooking fries in beef tallow.
I’ve never found the flavor of McDonald’s buns to be all that appealing. Given the size of their market, I’m sure they could get a steep discount on gluten-free buns from some producer.
re: … the key to success is *not* to market it as healthy …
Actually, the whole food industry is going to have to avoid that word (healthy) until the FDA is reformed or abolished.
http://www.naturalnews.com/049643_Kind_bars_antioxidants_good_fats.html
I don’t endorse Kind bars (multiple issues having nothing to do with the FDA nonsense), but any bars I might endorse are quite likely not going to be able to describe themselves accurately.
This may well be a big part of why there are no acceptable LCHF or keto bars on the market today (Quest are not HF, and often kick people out of keto for reasons not entirely clear).
I tried Quest Bars and found I was eating too many of them. No doubt, because of the inadequate fat, just did not satisfy.
Can’t add more fat, the mass market would not accept them.
All they’d have to do to make me happy would be to switch back to beef tallow for fries and let me order like 6 patties with no bun as a single “sandwich”. I hate ordering bunless burgers at Micky’s because they put every single one in its own plastic container. That tiny patty looks sad in there all by its lonesome.
I love the Steak, Egg, and Cheese bagel sans the bagel. They need some kind of Meat Lover’s Breakfast that contains 1 each of: steak, egg, cheese, ham, sausage, and a hash brown fried in beef tallow.
The salad dressing switch would be nice, but I don’t eat at Micky’s for salad. I can go grab a cheaper, fresher, and tastier one off the shelf at the grocery store any time.
All they’d have to do to make me happy would be to switch back to beef tallow for fries and let me order like 6 patties with no bun as a single “sandwich”. I hate ordering bunless burgers at Micky’s because they put every single one in its own plastic container. That tiny patty looks sad in there all by its lonesome.
I love the Steak, Egg, and Cheese bagel sans the bagel. They need some kind of Meat Lover’s Breakfast that contains 1 each of: steak, egg, cheese, ham, sausage, and a hash brown fried in beef tallow.
The salad dressing switch would be nice, but I don’t eat at Micky’s for salad. I can go grab a cheaper, fresher, and tastier one off the shelf at the grocery store any time.
I totally agree with you that McDonald’s should not cater their market to those who will not buy their products anyway. I’d love to see the menu simplified, fries fried in lard/beef fat, and quadruple cheeseburgers if I wanted them. They should focus on making the experience more fun, and the food more tasty. They may have taken away Supersize fries, but I can still order five large if I want to. E
To be fair, I loved your movie, but somewhat take a different direction when it comes to my actual diet. I think you really did a good job cementing a healthier direction for people to eat. That’s encouraged me to eat a lot more salmon, chicken, pork tenderloin, lots more greens, all of which has substantially made me feel better. Still I still love my Egg McMuffins to death, mutant rolls and all. I know it’s not the best for you, but it’s fun, and that’s what McDonalds should be all about.
I will defend the Egg McMuffin to my dying breath. And, being that I eat two every Saturday, if I die on a Saturday, they very well may be my last meal. That will complete my life and make me an extremely happy man who valued his delicious breakfast (and at my age, I estimate I have about 6,000 Egg McMuffins to go).
Great site, and keep up the great work.
The fast-food diet was to make a point in the film. I don’t eat much fast food, especially now that we live in the sticks.
I totally agree with you that McDonald’s should not cater their market to those who will not buy their products anyway. I’d love to see the menu simplified, fries fried in lard/beef fat, and quadruple cheeseburgers if I wanted them. They should focus on making the experience more fun, and the food more tasty. They may have taken away Supersize fries, but I can still order five large if I want to. E
To be fair, I loved your movie, but somewhat take a different direction when it comes to my actual diet. I think you really did a good job cementing a healthier direction for people to eat. That’s encouraged me to eat a lot more salmon, chicken, pork tenderloin, lots more greens, all of which has substantially made me feel better. Still I still love my Egg McMuffins to death, mutant rolls and all. I know it’s not the best for you, but it’s fun, and that’s what McDonalds should be all about.
I will defend the Egg McMuffin to my dying breath. And, being that I eat two every Saturday, if I die on a Saturday, they very well may be my last meal. That will complete my life and make me an extremely happy man who valued his delicious breakfast (and at my age, I estimate I have about 6,000 Egg McMuffins to go).
Great site, and keep up the great work.
The fast-food diet was to make a point in the film. I don’t eat much fast food, especially now that we live in the sticks.
I had a bunless cheeseburger at Five Guys yesterday. When I asked for bunless, the girls asked if I had any allergies, which was interesting. I told her that I just don’t eat breads. They offer bunless, cook their fried in peanut oil, but still offer ketchup made with HFCS.
$9.83 for a cheeseburger and regular unsweetened iced tea, a reminder that Five Guys is overrated and overpriced.
For that price you can just go to a buffet and eat as much of whatever you want…
I had a bunless cheeseburger at Five Guys yesterday. When I asked for bunless, the girls asked if I had any allergies, which was interesting. I told her that I just don’t eat breads. They offer bunless, cook their fried in peanut oil, but still offer ketchup made with HFCS.
$9.83 for a cheeseburger and regular unsweetened iced tea, a reminder that Five Guys is overrated and overpriced.
For that price you can just go to a buffet and eat as much of whatever you want…
Culver’s now offers Udi’s gluten-free buns for $1 more.
Culver’s now offers Udi’s gluten-free buns for $1 more.
Interesting. Looks like we have one in Franklin. I’d never heard of them before.
hi tom,
i’ve been meaning to ask you this question for a while. you’ve written very positively about nina teicholz’s book, and i think most of us who read your blog would agree with her message. that said i don’t know if you happen to be familiar with a blog called “the science of nutrition”–you’d be forgiven if it’s not on your reading list since the author wrote an utterly bogus ad hominem attack on you and your movie a few years ago. but at any rate, he wrote two fairly lengthy reviews of nina teicholz’s book alleging that it is essentially plagiarized directly from Good Calories, Bad Calories. and he gives a lot of examples of passages of her book that are similar or just about identical to GCBC, right down to the placement of ellipses in quotations. i must say it was pretty persuasive, though i’ll admit i’ve only read GCBC, not BFS. the blog writer does acknowledge that teicholz has taubes’ ringing endorsement, but the question is –is her book original scholarship or not? did two journalists independently come to the same conclusion or did one journalist just echo another?
i’m wondering if you’ve heard about this. if true, it doesn’t undermine her message exactly, but i do think it takes her down a peg as an authority. curious to hear your thoughts.
hi tom,
i’ve been meaning to ask you this question for a while. you’ve written very positively about nina teicholz’s book, and i think most of us who read your blog would agree with her message. that said i don’t know if you happen to be familiar with a blog called “the science of nutrition”–you’d be forgiven if it’s not on your reading list since the author wrote an utterly bogus ad hominem attack on you and your movie a few years ago. but at any rate, he wrote two fairly lengthy reviews of nina teicholz’s book alleging that it is essentially plagiarized directly from Good Calories, Bad Calories. and he gives a lot of examples of passages of her book that are similar or just about identical to GCBC, right down to the placement of ellipses in quotations. i must say it was pretty persuasive, though i’ll admit i’ve only read GCBC, not BFS. the blog writer does acknowledge that teicholz has taubes’ ringing endorsement, but the question is –is her book original scholarship or not? did two journalists independently come to the same conclusion or did one journalist just echo another?
i’m wondering if you’ve heard about this. if true, it doesn’t undermine her message exactly, but i do think it takes her down a peg as an authority. curious to hear your thoughts.
Yes, it’s original scholarship. She began The Big Fat Surprise a long time ago, before GCBC was published. She also covers far more of the history of the anti-fat hysteria, the people involved, their motivations, etc. than Taubes does. She couldn’t possibly have cribbed that stuff from him. Taubes wrote more about the science of obesity. The two books are complementary, not clones of each other.
And yes, I saw the “science of nutrition” site once. He’s an intelligent imbecile who believes what he was taught in nutrition school. Taubes or Teicholz would embarrass him in a debate about science.