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McDonald's All-Day Breakfast Getting Mixed Reviews
Ordering an afternoon Egg McMuffin is finally a reality, but some franchisees aren't too happy about the decision.
After months of anticipation and a lifetime of trying to buy Egg McMuffins at 10:31a.m., all-day breakfast at McDonald’s is finally here. It’s a strategy McDonald’s is hoping will introduce a much needed spark into dwindling domestic sales, but many of its franchisees have mixed feelings about the decision.
According to Business Insider, Mark Kalinowski, an analyst for the Japanese finance company Nomura, surveyed 29 operators overseeing 226 different McDonald’s locations throughout the U.S., and found that many were already frustrated with the new menu options. Franchisees reported that the all-day breakfast roll-out slows down service, lowers average bills, and triggers unwanted chaos in the kitchen.
“In small stores, the problems are vast with people falling over each other and equipment jammed in everywhere,” one franchisee wrote in response to Kalinowski’s survey. Another franchisee called the process an “erratic, distorted, disorganized direction from McDonald’s.”
Other franchisees claim that the decision, which aimed to boost sales for the slumping fast food giant, isn’t generating new traffic. “All-day breakfast is a non-starter. We are trading customers down from regular menu to lower-priced breakfast items.”
Kalinowski’s survey also revealed that the launch of all-day breakfast puts an added pressure on restaurants to hire extra labor, creating higher costs for franchisees that are already strapped for cash due to lower sales and expensive kitchen upgrades.
But not everyone has negative feelings about the change. In a letter to franchisees, obtained by Bloomberg, McDonald’s U.S. President Mike Andres said that the “successful launch of all-day breakfast proves that when we listen to and respond to our customers and align around a great execution plan, we will grow our business and take share.”
All-day breakfast officially launched on Oct. 6 in 14,300 locations across the country. The true measure of the initiative’s success will be revealed in McDonald’s long-term sales. The company is expected to announce its quarterly earnings on Oct. 22.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
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