McDonald's is getting ready to make customers' dreams come true by bringing all-day breakfast to franchises around the country.
BREAKING: McDonald's franchisees vote to approve all-day breakfast offering in 14,300 U.S. restaurants starting on Oct. 6 - DJ • $MCD
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) September 1, 2015
This is an idea that's so good people have suggested it constantly. And historically, McDonald's has answered that it simply doesn't work logistically — there isn't enough griddle space to do breakfast and lunch service at the same time, so things need to be set up for one or the other.
But McDonald's is in trouble lately, especially in its US home market, as newer and better casual restaurants crowd into the market. So the chain is right to be looking at new options. And breakfast is a smart place to look. But if the company's new CEO is really serious about refocusing on food, I have a radical suggestion to fix the logistical problem: ditch the burgers.
Egg McMuffins (esp. with sausage) are delicious
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Tastes great, more filling. (McDonald's)
The basic state of the McDonald's menu is this: It has the best breakfast sandwiches in the world (egg McMuffin or egg McMuffin with sausage, depending on your mood), while the hamburgers are not the best in the world.
When fancy chefs try to craft a "highbrow" or "gourmet" egg McMuffin, they invariably end up creating something inferior to the original. Because the original is perfect.
McDonald's lunch sandwiches are "meh" at best
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Okay, I guess. (McDonald's)
The burgers just aren't like this. Even at the chain's peak, nobody seriously thought those were the best burgers in the world. In terms of ground beef patties, McDonald's has always been selling convenience and price more than actual food. Reasonable people can disagree as to whether the best fast food burgers are at Shake Shack or In-N-Out or Five Guys or Smashburger, but nobody thinks McDonald's is in the number-one position. Nor are its chicken products any good compared with what's on offer at Popeye's or Chick-fil-A or even Wendy's.
Stick to what makes you great
Saying McDonald's should simply offer its breakfast menu all day is too simplistic. The french fries, for example, are fantastic — much like the breakfast sandwiches. And since the fries go in the deep fryer rather than on the grill, there's no conflict here. The weird apple pie thing is also amazing.
The point is that there's no need to be dogmatic about breakfast or lunch. The key thing is to be dogmatic about excellence. That means using the grill for the breakfast items at which McDonald's excels, rather than for the lunch sandwiches that are mediocre at best.
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