unforum

[Puppy_Zwolle]

Did you know...

[Rogi Ocnorb]

You forgot about the subliminal "Get Ouuuut!" mixed in with the Muzak.

[Tien_Le]

Re: Did you know...

[gazdemon]

OMG - so thats why Im addicted to the hamburgers!

[Puppy_Zwolle]

Before this gets too much into McBashing.

My point was:
It makes me think.
Is this the best we can do? Use our brain to make people feel unwelcome and even worse... we seem to like it? All over the world???

[catherwood]

It's not that McDonald's wants you to feel unwelcome; they just want you to feel like taking your food to go. Their business model is about fast food, not hanging out. If you didn't feel welcome when you walked in, you probably wouldn't stand in line.

Other restaurants do better with an environment that makes you want to stay awhile, order appetizers and desserts and maybe an extra round of drinks after. But they also need turnover. Your dinner party needs to leave to make room for the next.

Nobody talks about what a great time they had at the McDonald's Play Palace because of the atmosphere. People do crave the items on the menu -- and the fact that someone else is cleaning up after them. If your business is product, make people remember the product.

I hope this perspective makes you less cynical about consumers and the businesses that cater to them.

[Rogi Ocnorb]

I was kidding on my previous post, though I'll bet it's at least been tried.

I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the McDonalds business model, but I do know there are at least two major types of stores:
The chain stores and the franchise stores.
Whether either one can have things like the PlayPlace or consloe games, I know not (The inclusion of these things would seem counter to any efforts at making one leave quickly.).
But I do appreciate finding this after having been on the road for several hours, letting the kids get some exercise and entertainment while mom and I just relax. I've never been encouraged to vacate my table and stay as long as is necessary to fulfill the above goals.
Sure, it's not the most comfortable of settings, but not totally unwelcoming. I'm sure a lot of research has gone into balancing comfort versus cleanability, durability and other nebulous factors.

There are a lot of more traditional eateries to choose from, but on the whole, McDonald's is the family choice more often than not.

The bottom line does figure into our existence more than I'd prefer, but such is the world WE are creating. Remember "Self-Service" pumps at gas stations? Because we, as a whole, decided that paying more to have someone else pump the gas was not worth it, more and more stations started allowing you to pump your own and save a few cents. Soon nobody was using the full service pumps at all. Now, the concept of having someone else do it for you is but a distant memory.

We know a paraplegic woman who is down to one station she can get gas at without the whole exiting the vehicle production or the kindness of random fellow patrons. And that's only when one guy she knows is working.

[MageSteff]

[MageSteff]

[EGo]

[Brain\Storm]

McDonalds is trying to bring in and keep a status as the absolute easiest and fastest way to feed America the World. I mean, you can get a double cheeseburger for a DOLLAR. OMG a FREAKIN dollar!!!! Get in, get your food, get the hell out and be happy that you just spent so little money on a semi-tasty portion of meat, bread, and cheese to eat so you don't die!
Yeah, I DID see the movie "Super Size Me" and it had great points and all, but whatever. I won't complain when I actually can eat a lunch thats quick, cheap, and filling on a 30 min lunch break from work.
If people sat down and stayed a while in the restaurant, then McDonalds might have a chance of being viewed as a sit-down type place to eat. Not to mention that if people stayed they might use the bathrooms, refill drinks, etc which leads to losses.

[MageSteff]

[Kjartan]

[Puppy_Zwolle]

[aliendial]

"Soylent Green is people!"