1. McDonalds 1
Running head: Restaurant Essay
Restaurant Essay: McDonalds
Katelyn Harvey
COM213 – Media Literacy
10/30/2016
Flagler College
2. McDonalds 2
Part A: SWOT Analysis
This McDonalds location has several things going for it that helps make it so successful.
This particular location is the closest McDonalds for over twenty miles in all directions. The
layout of this McDonalds parking lot also is easy to get in and out of by having three different
exit and entry ways. The inside of the restaurant has a separation from where you order and
eat. There is a privacy wall in half of the restaurant that helps the customers block out the
sound of the kitchen area. This particular location has easy access to the drinks and being able
to control the refill of your own drink. There are also three registers to make it easy to keep the
lines flowing and the lobby cleared out.
Weakness of this location would have to be the cleanliness. The restaurant is outdated
compared to others and it is not very well kept up. The bathrooms are also small and not
properly working. This location was loud and it seemed hectic at times. The seating was also not
very accommodating. There are several two person seats and round tables. They did not have
the typical four seat tables other than the booths.
Externally this location could keep their restaurant updated and more welcoming. It
does not feel modern even though the advertisements they have are modern. The trash cans
are in view as you drive up and there were several buzzards surrounding the trash can. The
layout could also be made more useful if they took away the outside eating area and enlarged
the inside portion of the restaurant. The staff is also loud as they are preparing offers.
There are several other fast food restaurants in the surrounding area that are more
updated and currently remodeled. Since there is only that McDonalds in the area it is easy to
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get tired of eating at this location. The drive through line is usually backed up and when
customers are passing on the road they are more than likely not going to stop and wait.
The product I picked is the McDonalds original cheeseburger. This is an item that has
been around since McDonalds first began. It is a popular item on the McDonalds menu.
They also have everything on a hamburger that customers expect. It is such a popular item on
the dollar menu that McDonalds made it a number to choose from on the main menu except
you get two instead of one and it comes as a meal. They also maximize the advertising on the
fact that their hamburger are made hundred percent of real beef. There is an old saying that
“you get what you pay for” this is typically true in this situation. The cheeseburgers are thrown
together very quickly and typically there is not much effort in trying to spread the ketchup and
pickles out. Since they are so inexpensive it does not matter to the company that they are not
adequate.
The pricing for this particular item is very reasonable. It is a dollar for a McDonald’s
cheese burger. That is a price that no other opponent can compete with. It is easy for anyone to
be able to make a decision to buy that because they are quick to eat and not expensive. It is
also an item customers can commit to. The price is acceptable and the cheeseburger itself is
pretty good then that becomes customers go to when they stop at a McDonalds location.
McDonalds probably does not need to try to lower their cost anymore than they already are. If
anything they could increase the price and probably put more effort in the cheeseburger and
customers would still more than likely pay the extra amount of money. Most customers do not
expect a whole lot out of a McDonald’s cheeseburger but there is always room for
improvement.
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A majority of the time when customers are looking for something “fast food” they are
not likely to want to even take the time to get out of the car they will just go to the drive
through. At the point of getting the food the customer will more than likely check it to see if it
meets their expectation and is correct. If the customer asked for no ketchup on their
cheeseburger they are more willing to send it back while they are sitting in the drive through.
Other customers who do not like to sit in the drive through line will go inside in hopes that it is
faster. This is when they really can see where their food is coming from. The buildings that
McDonalds sells these cheeseburgers are all typically the same. In some large cities they are
more modern and updated but there are so many locations that are privately owned and the
classic McDonalds look acceptable. Either way customers are going to come.
This particular location was big on advertising and promoting the cheeseburger and
the hamburger. They had signs up that showed of the low price of these items. This location
placed these advertising at the front entrance and on the front window so customers could see
it from the road. This attracts customers attention and somewhat encourages them to buy a
cheeseburger that is affordable. McDonalds sends out several coupon pamphlets that also
allow customers to save additional money on food. They typically have free drinks or buy one
get one free cheeseburgers. These promotions help remind customers that they want to have
that juicy cheeseburger that they have not had in awhile.
The customers that eat at McDonalds are typically anyone and everyone.
From high class customers sometimes even homeless people eat at these locations. Unlike
other restaurants McDonalds is not really marketed towards a specific group of individuals. In
certain ads they may target moms or families but for the most part they try to include and
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cover everyone. The staffs on the inside of this particular location are mostly a part of the
younger generation. The workforces at this location are all very different in their personalities
and how they interacted with the customer. The majority of them were in a zone where they
rushed everything. This ended up making the environment hectic and they became less friendly
as the customers lined up. For the majority of the visit I had at this location it was not
enjoyable. This can affect how customers view this business aside from the product they are
producing or the actual building.
The packaging of this product is not in any way fancy. When the customer receives
the cheeseburger it is in a white plastic paper that is labeled what the product is suppose to be.
The wrapping typically becomes unwrapped while in the brown paper bag that you receive.
When this happens it allows the sandwich to fall apart and then the customer has to fix it. Some
of the more “fancy” sandwiches come in a cardboard container and do not really have this
problem. For the most part the sandwich packaging is consistent and recognizable when other
sees it.
The positioning of the product and McDonalds as a company changes over time.
The “Ronald McDonald house” is shown throughout the entire restaurant and when order your
cheeseburger or other items they have money drop box right at the cash register. The company
has stayed consistent with their cheeseburgers and keeping the idea of being a classic item the
main focus. McDonalds has revolved there “after dark” idea around the cheeseburger and
other classic, recognizable, value menu items.
The online website for McDonalds is focused on making donations and having a
better quality of food. This website is easy to navigate and it complements the modern age
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advertising that is shown in their stores. They also offer this website in a Spanish version for
customers to use. McDonald’s website is also big on providing nutritional facts for customers.
They have had a bad reputation for being unhealthy and they want to show the customers the
healthiest options on the menu.
The issues I had with the website were getting clear information on the value menu.
There is a search bar on the website but they do not have it set up where each section is like
the sections at the McDonald’s locations. They also do not offer any images when you search
for items on the menu. It is the logo for McDonalds instead.
The nutritional section is important to the company on the website. They have
several things “Commitment to quality, quality food, our food philosophy, nutrition calendar
and our food experts.” This is an important trend that is going on now and several people have
jumped on the healthy bandwagon. McDonalds wants to reassure the customers that they
want what is best for them so customers will want to eat their food.
The McDonalds website is also big on the current deals and saving money. They are
all running ads on products that are seasonal and giving customer’s things that are the most
popular. This is also important to customers who know they have to grab something quick to
eat but also do not want to spend a ton of money doing so.
The social media section on their website is also important but they do not put a
spot light on it. This allows customers to post pictures of the food they purchase and what
everyone is saying about the products. McDonalds also shows what they are posting about the
products that they are offering.
