The Big Mac, Happy Meal, Chicken McNuggets, Egg McMuffin…can you imagine a world without
McDonald's in it?
Operating over 35,000 restaurants in over 100 countries, Mcdonald's is the most successful
food business to come out of America.
It all started back in 1948 in San Bernardino, California, when brothers, Maurice & Richard
McDonald, converted their drive-through barbecue restaurant into a fast-food burger joint,
one of the first in the US.
Fast forward 70+ years and McDonald’s is now the world’s largest restaurant chain
by revenue, with over 40 billion USD in 2019, serving around 68 million customers daily.
It is difficult to put an exact date on the invention of fast food, but most historians
agree that the American company, White Castle, selling hamburgers back in 1916, was the pioneer.
Mcdonald's followed their example and then went on to add fries, shakes, coffee & Coca-Cola.
Labeled fast food as it is prepared and served quickly (and consumed more quickly than any
sit-down, plated meal).
Fast food is convenient, tasty, and cheap - burgers, pizzas, fried chicken, wraps & sandwiches,
hot dogs, noodles, and snacks/beverages such as ice cream, coffee, donuts, shakes, and
juices.
In 2018, the fast food industry was worth an estimated $570 billion globally!
Burgers are, by far, the most popular fast food with sales of 81 billion USD in 2019,
with the ‘snack’ category coming in (not even close) second at 36 billion USD (Starbucks,
Dunkin Donuts, Dairy Queen, to name a few examples).
Even Mcdonald's outsold the next best fast food chain, Starbucks, by almost double in
2019…wowzers!
So, what is it that makes Mcdonald's so popular?
Well, for a start, their menu is easy to understand, and their food is yummy (salt being a key
factor!).
Customers can get a whole meal for a cheap deal wherever they are in the world and menus
are even adapted to local tastes.
For example, Bulgogi Burgers in South Korea, Masala Sandwiches in India or Corn Pie in
Thailand, these kinds of items are always big sellers when they are released as the
locals flock to express their patriotism via food!
McDonalds also has cute character branding - their main mascot, Ronald McDonald is a
favorite among kids and even their baddie, the Hamburglar, is an entertaining distraction.
Children love to host their birthday parties at Mcdonald's.
This is a great way for the company to market their brand by including meal deals, showcasing
their mascots, introducing fun Mcdonald's activities, and offering free merchandise
to party-goers!
Despite their incredible stronghold in the fast food market, Mcdonald's is not popular
with everyone!
Constantly criticized for encouraging obesity levels (especially in the US) and for not
disclosing honest nutritional information about their products, the company has faced
many legal battles over the years.
Their business practices have also come into question with low-paying, low-level, skill-free
positions with minimal chances of advancement being the main gripe amongst employees.
Of course, McDonald’s cannot be blamed entirely for the ridiculous rates of obesity worldwide;
there are many other burger joints or fast food restaurants that have contributed to
this.
The fact that Mcdonald's is said to target children with their advertising, though, certainly
does not do them any favors.
Nowadays, their infamous tagline is “I’m loving it”...short, sweet, and easy to memorize;
well, if fast food statistics are anything to go by, customers truly are “loving it”!