McDonald’s Fresh Burgers Are Increasing Wait Times Dramatically
Arguably the most important thing about fast food, is that it be fast. But that could now be adversely affected by the use of fresh patties.
While the pressure to make fast food as fresh as possible continues, there is one major drawback, as Reuters reports that McDonald’s new fresh Quarter Pounders have increased cooking times by at least 1 minute.
Keep in mind the average wait time for McDonald’s was already close to 4 minutes in 2016, so those in a rush might already be anxious in the drive-thru.
Granted, the fresh, unfrozen beef is still being tested before its anticipated nationwide 2018 release, so they could still work out the speed kinks, but there’s no doubt that there will be increased wait times as the fresh beef cooks.
A McDonald’s consultant told Reuters that if people feel they are waiting too long for their burgers, they will probably start going somewhere else.
It seems like McDonald’s can’t win. They try to appease those who want better quality food, but then alienate those who just want their food quickly.
On the plus side, their Quarter Pounder sales have increased by 20-50 percent in areas with the new fresh patty, so at least people are buying into the new, fresh product.
It’ll be interesting if customers choose quality over speed, but until then, good luck figuring out this one, McD.
