Don't Disrespect Your Customer

There has been a lot in the news and on social media about McDonald's iosing customers and losing economic growth. This information mostly concerns a specific demographic -- those around 25 years old.

McD has made some surprising efforts to try and solve this problem, to reach out to this group, to come up with solutions. (One solution is/was simplifying the menu but offering more options. Yeah.)

The following is my opinion, and opinion only.

If McDonald's wishes to retain the business of the 25 year olds -- quit treating them like they are either 16 year old employees without a clue, or the 7 year old consumers they once were. This is disrespecting the customer.

Giving them only one suggestion for a drink is infantizing.  "does-ums want some cokey-coke wiss zat?" Even parenting manuals advise offering a choice. "Would you like a coke or some coffee with that?" is a much more adult interaction.

Contradicting this is the updated healthy choice happy meal option. To order a Happy Meal now, one (customer or cashier) must read through the equivalent of a preflight check list.
Which entree?
Which size entree?
Which side? (There are four choices.)
What drink?
And, when there's a choice of toys, which toy?

Some of this can be shortened by the one choice suggestion -- and did you want apple slices with that? Would you like a chocolate milk with that? --  it can leave the customer wondering about the choices not  being offered.

Again, a subtle show of disrespect.

Each customer and each order should be treated individually, not by recitation.

Suggestive selling is a part of any restaurant experience. Yet there are restaurants that allow a customer to say, "That's all." and not insist on offering something more. Let the order placing and order taking be done individually. If the customer seems insistent that "That's all" then don't insist on insisting an addition.

Who wouldn't prefer to go to a place where they are actually listened to?

Respecting the customer will bring more return visits than forceful selling of a serving of pie (that the customer has already indicated is not wanted.)
And, often, if the customer comes around, they will decide on a little more.
Or they may just decide to come back another time, because your place really does care about their experience.

The following is speculation on my part.

Another problem that McDonald's may have with this demographic is that many of them have worked for the business.

It is most likely that most of them worked for franchise stores, as they are the most prevalent. The franchise stores often do not treat their employees according to McDonald's corporation standards. And if there is an HR (human resources) problem, the corporation does not offer back-up to the employees. They tell them to contact their HR department. Many franchises are small, three or four stores, and the only HR is the bosses/owners that are already at the heart of the problem. If someone has tried to complain to corporation, they are getting desperate. It isn't easy to get through to them for general HR problems. (There are hotlines for specific unresolved conflicts.) To be told you must return to the source of the problem for a solution is (also) disrespectful.

If the 25ers haven't worked there, they have friends or relatives who have. It seems likely to me that these customers may be choosing not to go somewhere that has treated someone (they care about) badly.

In many cases, it may be as simple as that.


I have no suggestions to offer as solutions (except allow the order taker to sometimes decide if a suggestive sell is inappropriate).
I am reporting my observations and experiences, and those of people I have known.

I hope that McDonald's is considering these factors as well as menu choices, locations, and the many, many other facets there are to running a business of that size.

If they are, if they do, then it's possible for everyone to win.

DISRESPECT?

Tammy and Hazel, 1988

My stepdaughter Hazel died, heroin overdose. She was found, hospitalized, and on life support for several days.

No one told her sisters on her father's side that she was in the hospital, that she was dying, that she had died.

A friend of mine told me, and I had to tell them. (Disrespectful)

This is the sister that they -- all of Rex's family -- turned the town of Bethel upside down trying to find her so she could say goodbye to her daddy. When she got there she was more interested in zipping up her boyfriend's pants than spending time with her dad. They also just vanished from the hospital without telling anyone. We spent some time looking there, too. (Disrespectful on their part, don't you think?)


After the original news was published, Hazel was listed as the beloved daughter of her mother and her mother's 99th husband. (That number is hyperbole, not fact.)

Hazel's real father, who died without her presence, was not mentioned in the original obituary.

As if he had never existed

As if he had never been part of her life. (Disrespectful.)



I took our girls to her funeral.

If Hazel's other half sister, who in my opinion suffered the greatest loss, or her mother even spoke to my daughters, it was only in passing. (Disrespectful)

Our girls mingled, and my older daughter was asked why she was there; who was she to Hazel. (Disrespectful)
(And who the heck does that at a funeral, unless it's by invitation only?)



We sat in the back row for the service.

My daughter took her phone from her daughter (age 6) who had started playing music instead of a card game on it. She was holding it in her hand. She didn't think the child's choice of music was respectful or appropriate.

Bedamned if some blonde woman (NOT a member of the immediate family) didn't chew my daughters out about how "disrespectful:"they were for having their phones out! (Disrespectful)

I wish to hell I had known what Blondie was saying! I would have told her a thing or two about DISRESPECT! (Not to mention common courtesy and a side serving of 'mind-your-own-business.)

My girls had lost a sister, too, and were treated as if they came in off the street to get warm.

If that isn't disrespectful, what is?