2. Eroding, Embracing, or Elevating the McNeighborhood:
An Analysis of Milwaukee’s McDonald’s Restaurants
McDonald’s is a business
that cuts across
Theory Menu Research Question Results Menu
We found restaurants that eroded, embraced, or elevated their
socioeconomic Broken Windows The appearance of a business contributes to
neighborhoods’ image through aesthetics and through how
divides and Wilson and Kelling’s (1982) theory a neighborhood’s image in the same way that they dealt with (or ignored) “broken windows.” Please view
neighborhoods. suggests that leaving something minor, a suit contributes to a job candidate’s image. the photo slideshows for specific examples.
Drawing from like a broken window, unattended What do the aesthetics of
semiotics and can lead to a downward spiral of
urban decay. The broken window
Milwaukee’s McDonald’s Erode
broken windows restaurants say about Some restaurants’ aesthetics made us
sends a message that this area is not feel unwelcome and gave us a negative
theory, we observed nine scrutinized and not worth maintaining. their neighborhoods?
impression of the neighborhood in their
restaurants within the city of Milwaukee Metaphorical broken windows include Do they erode, failure to fix many “broken windows.”
to examine how the aesthetics of different any minor flaw that reflects poorly on embrace, or even These restaurants eroded their
a business (e.g., poor service, a dirty elevate the
McDonald’s restaurants can embrace, erode, or neighborhoods’ image.
bathroom, torn furniture).
elevate a neighborhood’s image. neighborhood
Aesthetics of Poverty image, and Embrace
The aesthetics of some restaurants seemed
Lewis (2008) found that ugly high- how so?
to reflect the neighborhood demographics
contrast signage is concentrated in and create a welcoming atmosphere,
Featured Item poor areas. The color yellow in
particular contributes to the
despite the presence of “broken
windows.” These restaurants embraced
“aesthetics of poverty,” while subtle
A job candidate wearing a nice suit to an interview their neighborhood culture and reflected
has an advantage over a sloppily dressed competitor
colors like blue and gray signal that
you are in a better part of town. Methodology Menu the conditions of the neighborhood.
because the suit sends subliminal messages about
its wearer— that this candidate is professional, has Semiotics McAudit Elevate
We visited all 29 McDonald’s in Milwaukee, taking photos to We found restaurants that elevated
good taste, is confident, etc. One can decode the suit According to semiotics, everything is the neighborhood image through
a sign: a signifier that stands for the document each restaurant’s condition and appearance. The
in many ways. Similarly, a community’s aesthetics McAudit helped us narrow our sample to nine restaurants refined aesthetics and great attention
signified. Signs and symbols denote
makes a statement about and connote. We decode them using in nine neighborhoods that span varying socioeconomic to detail. They also repaired their
that community. Businesses, spheres and represent different conditions of existence. “broken windows,” creating a positive
the syntax of our visual culture. neighborhood image, in contrast to
including the ubiquitous Metaphorical “broken windows” and
McDonald’s, the aesthetics of poverty can be thought Observation some of the other restaurants located
in neighborhoods with similar
of in terms of signs. Poor aesthetics and We revisited nine restaurants to observe
contribute to the demographics.
“broken windows” may have nothing in depth, documenting in notes and
overall aesthetics literally to do with poverty, but they are photos the appearance of the restaurants
of a neighborhood. signs that we interpret as such. and looking at any area inside or outside
the restaurants that could potentially
feature “broken windows” or poor
aesthetics (or the converse). We also Discussion
gathered demographic information and We expected to find that McDonald’s would directly reflect
observed the state of the surrounding socioeconomic status of the neighborhoods in which they were
neighborhoods. located: the best-looking restaurants would be in wealthy
Would you like neighborhoods; the ugly ones in poorer neighborhoods. That
was not the case. This suggests that—regardless of what
a hot apple pie Analysis the neighborhood actually is like—a McDonald’s can erode,
We conducted a semiotic analysis of our notes and photos, embrace, or elevate that neighborhood’s image.
with that? 29 McDonald’s Restaurants Visited attempting to decode the messages behind what we
observed. (Examples: What is the meaning of an elegant
9 McDonald’s Observed In−Depth mirror in the bathroom? What does an overflowing garbage We Recommend
with that? 579 Photographs Taken dumpster say to passers by?) As a team, we compared and
triangulated our interpretations to reach a consensus. u McDonald’s make aesthetic choices that create a
a hot apple pie 3 Researchers with French Fry welcoming environment, embrace the local culture, and
contribute to the neighborhood’s positive image.
Overload u McDonald’s address “broken windows” promptly in
Would you like order to send positive messages about the neighborhood.
u That other local businesses (not just McDonald’s) follow
these suggestions.
u Appearance matters.
with that?
a hot apple pie
Would you like
3. Eroding,
Eroding,
Embracing, or
Embracing, or
Elevating the
Elevating the Eroding, Embracing, or Elevating
Eroding, Embracing, or Elevating
McNeighborhood:
McNeighborhood: the McNeighborhood:
the McNeighborhood:
An Analysis of
An Analysis of An Analysis of Milwaukee’s
An Analysis of Milwaukee’s
Milwaukee’s
Milwaukee’s McDonald’s Restaurants
McDonald’s Restaurants
McDonald’s
McDonald’s
Restaurants
Restaurants Dawn C. Balistreri, Jennifer L.Jennifer L. Meness,
Dawn C. Balistreri, Meness,
Ruby M. Thomas Thomas
Ruby M.
Marquette Marquette University
University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wisconsin
Milwaukee,
Erode Erode 2009 2009
Some restaurants’
Some restaurants’
aesthetics conveyed
aesthetics conveyed This study This studythe impact the aesthetics aesthetics
examines examines of impact of
an unwelcome and
an unwelcome and on community image. Specifically, we chose to chose to
on community image. Specifically, we
negativenegative impression of
impression of focus on McDonald’s, a business a business that cuts across
focus on McDonald’s, that cuts across
the neighborhood in
the neighborhood in socioeconomic divides and neighborhoods.
socioeconomic divides and neighborhoods.
their failure tofailure to fix many
their fix many Drawing from broken windows theory andtheory and
Drawing from broken windows
“broken windows.”
“broken windows.” semiotics, semiotics, wenine restaurantsrestaurants within
we observed observed nine within
the city of the city of Milwaukee to learn what their
Milwaukee to learn what their
aesthetics say about theirabout their neighborhoods.
aesthetics say neighborhoods.
Embrace
Embrace We found that found that they either eroded, embraced,
We they either eroded, embraced,
The aesthetics of some of some
The aesthetics or elevatedor elevated their communities based upon
their communities based upon
restaurants seemed to
restaurants seemed to the nature of their aesthetics and how they how they
the nature of their aesthetics and
reflect the neighborhood
reflect the neighborhood addressed broken windows. windows.
addressed broken
demographics and create create
demographics and
a welcoming atmosphere
a welcoming atmosphere
by embracing their
by embracing their
neighborhood culture. culture.
neighborhood
Elevate
Elevate
Other restaurants
Other restaurants
elevated elevated their
their
neighborhood image image
neighborhood For more information, contact: contact:
For more information,
through refined refined
through
aesthetics, great
aesthetics, great Dawn Balistreri Balistreri
Dawn dawn.balistreri@alverno.edu
dawn.balistreri@alverno.edu
attention to detail,to detail,
attention Jennifer Meness Meness jennifer.meness@gmail.com
Jennifer jennifer.meness@gmail.com
and repaired repaired “broken
and “broken Ruby M. Thomas thomas_rm@usa.com
Ruby M. Thomas thomas_rm@usa.com
windows.”windows.”
Bookmarks handed out with presentation.
4. Erode Embrace Elevate
Icons mounted over computer screens with corresponding slideshows.
