New Data Shows McDonald’s Franchise Operators Are Not Stoked With The Company

It’s not been a great year for McDonald’s. The fast food company has reported increasingly-low sales numbers this past year and with each financial quarter, it feels like they’re releasing promotion after promotion. In a recent survey among McDonald’s franchisees, things aren’t that with the chain’s franchise operators, either.

NRN reports that 32 operators, together owning a 215 total restaurants, were asked about McDonald’s current state of performance. While these operators only represent 1 percent of the company’s 3,100 US franchises, the survey gives consumers a look at the general impressions of the franchise owners.

According to franchisee polls, sales fell 3.7 percent in-store. While it was an improvement to the overall 4 percent drop in February, the numbers were only slightly better.

The 32 operators were given a scale representing McDonald’s turnaround overall. From one (poor) to five (excellent), a total of 1.81 was averaged. An all-time low. The running average currently sits at 2.8.

When asked about the relationship between the franchise owners and McDonald’s, only three called the experience “good” while the majority rated the experience as a “poor” one.

It doesn’t seem like the operators have too much faith in McDonald’s attempt after attempt to turn sales around with new promotions and constant rebranding in the last few months. One operator even went as far as saying the brand has “jumped the shark” with recent changes like Create Your Taste.

McDonald’s recent decision to begin paying its workers an extra $1 an hour caused a rift between the company and operators. That, and the increase cost of menu items, have seriously strained the relationship between franchisor and franchisee.