Secrets of "McDonald's". McDonald's marketing

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today, the McDonald's fast food chain is perhaps the most recognizable in the world, as thousands of these establishments operate in dozens of countries. The company has developed its own corporate style of serving food, which appealed to millions of visitors. Many of us like to come here after work or on weekends to chat with friends or family.

But few people know that there are real McDonald's secrets that only employees know about. In this article we will try to reveal them. Believe me, after reading this information, you will change your mind about this chain of restaurants forever. So, we describe 20 McDonald's secrets that you didn't know about.

Own “Bible”

We had no idea that the corporate culture in the usual "Poppies" is so strong that they even introduced their own "Bible". Of course, it does not talk about any religious beliefs, but only gives detailed instructions on how personnel should act in certain situations. The size of such an instruction is not quite familiar to us - it is about 750 pages of text that literally describes every action of an employee. It concerns, in particular, cashiers, cooks in the kitchen, cleaners and so on.

McDonald's fast and smooth operation requires that there be such a set of rules. As a result, each employee works like a cog in one big mechanism, which is what restaurant managers strive for.

Again, the presence of step-by-step rules makes it possible not to think about how to get out of this or that situation - just refer to the document.

Artificial smell and taste of food

In order to extend the shelf life of the ingredients that are added to the same cheeseburgers (and not only), they are delivered to McDonald's in a frozen state. Only in the process of cooking, onions, potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes are heated, which leads to their transition to a normal state (which is how we eat them). True, few people think about the fact that frozen vegetables, after being defrosted, lose their smells and tastes. How do you think they deceive customers in such a way that they do not feel it? After all, you must admit that if the food were tasteless, no one would take it.

The way out is obvious - the addition of artificial colors and flavors. With the right ratio and the right cooking technology, even defrosted potatoes acquire an incredibly seductive smell, which we feel when ordering something here. In addition, the aroma of food, felt directly in the trading floor, is also created artificially. Or do you think McDonald's food smells so strong that it lingers even in the halls?

Order and cleanliness

The management of the restaurant chain pays a significant role to cleanliness. If you look atemployees of the institution, you can notice that the cleaners wash the floor almost constantly. Although, if you think logically, there is little sense in driving a rag while a dozen visitors immediately pass behind it.

In fact, such “preventive” cleanings are carried out so often in order to let the client know: everything is perfectly clean here, we are monitoring this. These may not be McDonald's secrets after all, but you probably didn't think about it before.

Another thing is when someone drops drinks or food on the floor. Then the cleaner comes instantly and eliminates the consequences of the incident.

By the way, if you lose your food this way (dropped Cola, for example), don't worry - the seller is obliged to give you a new portion. So feel free to ask if this happened near the checkout.

In general, as you understand, the McDonald's operating mode implies the duties of the staff to regularly clean the premises. You, for example, may be asked to wait until they wipe it before sitting down at a table.

Freshness of sandwiches

Since the place of work of the domestic McDonald's chain is Russia (despite the fact that the company is from the USA), there are some nuances here with the freshness of cheeseburgers and other sandwiches. In particular, few people know that the lifespan (that is, the period during which it is recommended to consume the product) of hamburgers, cheeses and others is only 20 minutes. Those products that go beyond this period have to be thrown away.

However, somemanagers manipulate time by changing timers (by extending them).

Let's hope that such McDonald's secrets are not so common in our country, and this is just a myth, but nonetheless. The advice given by the former employees of the chain is to ask for a "non-standard" burger, which is likely to be out of stock at the moment. Then the kitchen will be forced to make a new portion for you, which will definitely be fresh. To do this, ask for a cheeseburger (for example) without cucumber, onion or ketchup. Believe me, in general, its taste will not change much - but there will be a guarantee that it has just been collected for you.

Power of habit

Did you know that McDonald's doesn't change the taste of food on purpose to encourage the visitor to come back again? This secret is based on the power of habit. Even the first McDonald's in the 1970s offered customers the same cheeseburgers, big Macs and "dins" as they do today. Moreover, the taste of all these dishes is the same all over the world, regardless of where the products for their preparation are produced. For this reason, we all know how fries, cheeseburgers, salads, and so on taste. Even the sauces at McDonald's have had similar recipes for years.

Uncomfortable furniture

The fact that McDonald's uses such uncomfortable furniture, you probably didn't notice either. But take a closer look - and it really is. Tables and chairs, sofas - all this is done in such a style that it will be difficult to sit on them for a long time. In addition, inMac rooms, as you can see, are always short of space. We are not talking about landing positions (which, by the way, as a rule, are enough), no. This refers to the space for passage through the hall - it is really small. And when someone passes by, most often it happens too close to those who are sitting.

If you believe in the secrets of McDonald's, then this is done specifically in order to reduce the time spent by a person in a restaurant. Administrators resorted to such measures for the reason that many visitors come to the hall, buy a small “potato”, and sit for several hours enjoying free Wi-Fi.

Cold drinks

Have you noticed that cold drinks (Cola, Sprite, Fanta, juices) are 1.5-2 times cheaper than coffee or tea? Think it's all about cost? Not quite - at least look at how much the same "Cola" costs in the store relative to coffee and tea in small cafes "on the go". In fact, it is even the other way around. So why is everything like this on the Mac?

There is a theory according to which a person's appetite allows you to play a cold drink, while after a hot one, on the contrary, the feeling of hunger disappears. The owners of the restaurant set prices for Cola lower so that, having bought it, the client would also want to buy a cheeseburger or fries in the future.

Rejection of “not”

McDonald's secrets from a former employee, which are periodically published in the media, include another rule - you did not know about it. It's a prohibition to say "no". Even in questions from the cashier youdo not hear this particle, which on a psychological level inclines a person to failure. You are more likely to be asked, “Would you like sauce for your potatoes?” rather than “Would you like sauce?”. A trifle, but also probably plays a significant role.

Always “more”

Many meals and drinks in the fast food chain we are discussing are served in different portions. Of course, the client can order any of them, but often does not specify which one he wants. However, the cashier does not ask, but silently accepts the order. What portion is brought to the client?

That's right, the bigger one. Firstly, it brings more benefits to the restaurant, and secondly, it saves time in line. If the cashier asked the buyer again, and he also thought about his choice, the sale process would drag on for an extra minute. Therefore, those who do not specify always get more.

Cashier girls and uniforms

A little-known fact, but until the 70s, only guys worked in the McDonald's network. And now, at McDonald's, Russia (as well as the whole world, by the way) lets representatives of both sexes behind the counter. Why is that?

The company noticed that the girls behind the counter often lead to a delay in the queue for a simple reason - male customers begin to flirt with them. This is especially true for pretty girls, who attract more visitors, which means they slow down the sales process even more. What to do in this situation?

Firstly, it is impossible to refuse to hire the fair sex. This would cause a lot of protests andwould be classified as discrimination. Therefore, girls need to be hired, this is inevitable. Secondly, you can hire less beautiful employees or make them so. There is such a theory that less attractive girls are given jobs at McDonald's, but it's hard to believe in it, because the concept of beauty is purely subjective, and you can still meet beautiful cashiers in the Mac network. Therefore, obviously, the uniform allows you to deal with delays in the queues. Pay attention - it is specially made in such a way as to hide the figure of its owner and make the latter less attractive. The same applies to men - their McDonald's uniform also clearly does not put in the best light. Due to this, sales are accelerated here.

Location in crowded places

Maybe it's not quite a secret again - but all McDonald's are located in such a way that you can't walk past them. Note: each restaurant is located at the most crowded intersections and boulevards, along which potential visitors come from work or from university, school, and so on. The more active the place, the more likely it is that another Poppy will be opened here.

Joy for children

Very often parents do not want to go to McDonald's, but their children bring them here. Yes, the guys are not aware of the harm from such food, and they like it here - of course, one cannot do without begging and crying. And in order to encourage children to ask their parents to visit Mac, the owners of the network hold special promotions and events for little ones.visitors. For example, this is the organization of various holidays in honor of a birthday; distribution of toys in a special children's menu; balls for each visitor under the age of 6 with the McDonald's logo. All this suggests that here they are trying in every possible way to give joy to children in all available ways.

Meal Replacement

We have already mentioned that if you spilled or dropped something near the checkout, you must return the portion. The same applies to another case - if you found some hair in a sandwich or something else that was not related to the prescription product. Some take advantage of this to eat a portion and get a new portion for free.

Medium Potato

Another one of our 20 McDonald's Secrets about potatoes is the portions. We all know (and it says so on the menu) that there are three different servings of french fries - small, medium and large. But visitors do not realize that the amount of potatoes in large and medium portions is the same, the difference is only in cost and packaging. Just an envelope that is given with a large portion, respectively, larger.

Ice cream “Rock”

The most affordable (and so delicious) ice cream "Rozhok", if you notice, is always offered with a void at the bottom. It turns out a somewhat illogical placement of the ice cream itself in relation to the glass - from above it looks big, but the lower part of the waffle cup is empty. This is done, of course, to visually enlarge the entire product. And employees do not pour the mixture to the very bottomthey can - cars are designed that way, and there is a ban on filling the void in a glass. Thus, the restaurant saves a lot.

More questions and free glasses

Are you also annoyed by the questions that the cashier asks every time after your order? In particular, they ask you if you want to try a pie or a muffin? In order to refuse, you can add the phrase “everything” to the end of your order in advance. And then the cashier will not ask unnecessary questions and thus waste your extra time.

Every McDonald's can give you free cups. This can be used, say, to come here with your drink and just sit with friends without ordering anything. Remember that you will not be allowed here with alcohol!

Last visitor

We all know that Macs are open until the last visitor. At the same time, for the last half hour before the finish line, the doors of restaurants are closed to the entrance. Thus, no one will come in - but the last guests will be able to eat their portions.

This, of course, does not apply to those establishments that ceased to operate by decision of Rospotrebnadzor in the summer of 2014. In general, the closed McDonald's became a symbol of the government's struggle against American business in Russia - and, of course, such measures did not give a real effect, since Russian entrepreneurs suffered.

The riddle of sauces

There is a myth that addictive substances are added to McDonald's sauces. It is for this reason that they allegedlyso delicious.

In fact, there is still something secret in them - after all, even many employees do not know what they are made of. Therefore, if you do not want to risk your he alth, we recommend that you refuse to buy them. Unless, maybe, occasionally you can take it for a test, but obviously you shouldn’t get carried away. It is really difficult to explain why they are so tasty. But even a long work at McDonald's will not give you a guarantee that you will find out what is included in their composition.

Calories

Given the technology of cooking at McDonald's, we can confidently say that all the food here is more high-calorie than homemade. At least one menu consisting of a small sandwich, potatoes and cola will bring your body more than 60% of the daily calorie intake! At the same time, the feeling of hunger after it will appear no later than after a simple meal. It turns out that you will want to eat more, but in fact you will consume more.