Take a look at the following photos (by Steve Forrest for the NY Times) and try to guess which restaurant they depict.
In case you haven’t guessed, or you don’t get the Times, the photos depict different McDonald’s locations in Europe. For those wondering where the typical yellow and red fiberglass booths have gone, the answer comes from Denis Hennequin, the first European to hold down the office of president of McDonald’s Europe. “To make McDonald’s and a Big Mac work in the country of slow food, we felt we had to pay more attention to space and showcasing.”
Have you heard the phrase, “You can’t polish a turd”? That’s what comes to mind when I read this article. While it’s true that McDonald’s Europe has added more regional and healthier items to its menu based on a given restaurant’s country and community, such as porridge in England, the company acknowledges that its most popular items are still cheeseburgers and french fries.
You might think that Europeans wouldn’t fall for such a superficial makeover. After all, many of us in America romanticize Europe for its good food and attention to food ethics. And yet, McDonald’s Europe’s sales showed a significant increase after the changes in décor were implemented: “In the first half of this year, combined sales at Europe’s 6,400 restaurants rose 15 percent, to $4.1 billion, compared with a 6 percent increase in the United States, where McDonald’s has 13,800 restaurants and sales totaled $3.9 billion.”
So, can Internet access and rental iPods really make that much of a difference? Do subtle differences in the basic McDonald’s menu, such as lattés and soup, really make consumers feel better about themselves when they walk away from the counter with a BigMac and a bucket of fries? I guess they do. While it’s unknown how McDonald’s customers will feel about the changes in the long term, it seems that for now, McDonald’s Europe has done the impossible. They’ve successfully used zebra wallpaper and French cheeses to polish their turds, which continue to sit pre-wrapped under hot lights. At least some things never change.
To read more, here’s the the Times article. Also, check out the photo slideshow where I found the above photos.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Shabnam 08.29.07 at 5:50 am
Not such a nice comment for your “European” readers. Gullible people exist in every country. There is good and bad all over. Green and less green as well.
Far stretched genral statements like your title won’t get us very far.
ps. there are a lot of anti-Mc D’s. I know a lot of European’s who have never set foot in one. can’t say as much for my American friends.
Kerry Robb 09.06.07 at 4:36 pm
It seems my post has made you defensive. While gullible people do indeed exist in every country, my interpretation of those in Europe giving McDonald’s increasing amounts of business as “gullible” is my opinion. I stated the numbers in the post, and indeed, McDonald’s Europe’s sales have increased significantly since the aesthetic and menu changes have been implemented. Numbers don’t lie.
This post was about people who go to McDonald’s, not those who don’t. The “anti-McD’s” you mentioned also exist in the US, despite the impression of the greater world at large that every single American eats at the chain. It’s true that many Americans are fat and lazy, but I choose not to focus on that. This site is about those of us in America, and all over the world, who choose something greater for themselves.
In general, Europeans are much more responsible about the environment, and their regulations and standards are more strict. The entire point of this post was to highlight the fact that the strategy implemented by McDonald’s Europe is indeed working, and I wanted to express my disappointment at that.
Rather than calling out your American friends for eating at McDonald’s, perhaps you could refocus your emotions and use your indignation to educate them. The only way our world will improve is if we use our feelings to promote change.