Text |IQ Tax Research Center.McDonald's popular McCyclone is becoming a customer collection in stores, and many non-McMen consumers are attracted by the zero-yuan McCyclone and go to the store for pilgrimage.
However, after the successful exchange, the would-be believers often find that the amount of wheat whirlwind has become smaller and the taste has become thinner, and those who had intended to convert to Maimen immediately lost their faith.
In fact, not only McCyclone, but also McDonald's McSweetfish, Big Mac and other burgers have also shrunk, and various foods that are used as McMen's magic tools have been affected by the "food shrinking technique".
McDonald's food has become smaller, on the one hand, or due to its own cost pressure, on the other hand, the rise of local brands such as Wallace and Tustin has also launched attacks on it in terms of products, stores, etc.
Under the pressure of competitors, McDonald's is also looking for other ways to reduce costs and improve the cost of food.
Recently, McWhirlwind has indeed blown a whirlwind in the middle of the wool party, McDonald's, AutoNavi, Alipay, etc., jointly launched a zero-yuan purchase activity, so that many newcomers have converted to McMen.
For example, if you enter "Oh McGade" in the AutoNavi map app, you can draw a free exchange coupon for McCyclone, and you can also receive a zero-yuan McCyclone ** coupon in the Alipay McDonald's mini program.
McDonald's generosity attracted the worship of the infidels, and countless wool parties with exchange vouchers poured into the Holy Land of McMen, just to receive a McWhirlwind; But when they see the real thing, they are often disappointed.
In this regard, Pan Ge's colleague Dahua said: "McDonald's McCyclone has become very thin now, and my family says that there is no milk taste at all." ”
On the other side, netizen Xiao He also told Brother Pan: "I bought a wheat, I feel that the amount is only half of what I bought before, I went to the clerk after I got it, and the other party gave me more points." ”
On social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin, Pan Ge found that recent McMen consumers have a lot of complaints about Mai Whirlwind, which can be summarized into two points:
First of all, the portion has become smallerMany consumers' Mai Whirlwind, now the amount is only half a cup, some netizens said: "Is Mai Mai reminding consumers not to be complacent?" ”
Secondly, it is the food that has become thinnerA consumer said: "When I got it, it was quite full, but after mixing, I found that it was all water." "There is no milky taste at all, has the whipping cream been eaten by the clerk?" ”
In this regard, McDonald's clerk Wu Gua told Pan Ge: "The company's standard for the weight of McCyclone is 6oz, and some stores will also say that it is four and a half circles in order to facilitate measurement and operation, and it depends on different stores." If you feel that you are giving less, you can use the small scale in the store to measure it. ”
The smaller and thinner McWhirlwind has made many McMen believers feel that the food has lost its soul, and in addition to McWrado, McDonald's other types of food have also shrunk to varying degrees.
For example, McDonald's McSweetfish burger is not as big as a powder cake now, and when you meet 185 male college sports students, you may be able to eat it in one bite; The Big Mac burger, which once belonged to the Big Eater, has become the size of the palm of your hand.
At the same time, some netizens said: "McDonald's double-layer custard burger is not much bigger than my car logo, and I will finish it when I wait for a red light." ”"Mai Mai's grilled hamburger, I used to be unable to eat a piece, but now I can't eat a piece. ”
Nowadays, all kinds of shrunken McDonald's burgers have made many believers become "hungry ghosts", and netizens from all over the world have posted mini McMen food on social platforms, some of which seem to be props in the miniature world.
In this regard, some netizens said: "Could it be that the juvenile aesthetics have affected McDonald's?" "McDonald's burgers, sometimes compared to others, are simply children's versions. ”
Why have McDonald's McCyclones and Burger families shrunk in unison? The most fundamental reason seems to lie in the control of costs.
In this regard, the clerk Wu Gua said to Pan Ge: "The national store standard is fixed, and the hamburger bun is a unified ** businessman, but some stores may have some illegal operations in order to reduce costs and monthly consumption, because the monthly report has an impact on the store manager's salary." ”
He told Pan Ge for example: "For example, the milk slurry of ice cream is directly added to the ice cream machine, and there will be no water in the regular operation, but some stores may add water to it in order to save costs, and the taste will be different." ”
Another McDonald's employee said: "I try to fill the McCyclone every time, but when the store manager found out, I was scolded, saying that I gave too much." ”
Some people believe that in line with the idea of opening up sources and reducing expenditures, the control of food costs may improve McDonald's business performance to a certain extent.
This is confirmed by financial data. The financial report shows that throughout 2023, McDonald's will achieve revenue of 254US$900 million, a year-on-year increase of 10%; The net profit was 84$6.9 billion, up 37% year-on-year.
However, although revenue and net profit have "doubled", this does not mean that McDonald's can "sit back and relax", after all, only in terms of the domestic market, it is facing squeeze from local rivals such as Wallace and Tustin.
For a small cup of money and a big cup of coffee, there's nothing quite like a discount. McDonald's, known as the "poor ghost**", has 1 plus 1 as you like, and the lowest price of two foods is 139 yuan; Wallace started a three-piece set, and the lowest price was only 10$5; Tustin Spicy Spicy Burger Three-Piece Set for $159 yuan;
On the other hand, Tustin, who holds high the banner of "Chinese-style burger", has also launched a variety of products, such as Peking duck burger, sauerkraut barbecue burger, etc., making burgers more suitable for the taste of Chinese babies.
In addition to the competition in terms of products, China's local fast food brands have also caught up with McDonald's in terms of the number of stores.
Relevant data shows that by the end of 2023, the number of Wallace's stores nationwide has exceeded 20,000, exceeding the number of McDonald's and KFC stores combined.
Meituan's big data shows that Wallace now has more than 1,400 stores in first-tier cities, and the average growth rate of orders and users in first-tier cities is more than 50%.
On the other hand, the number of stores in Tustin is now close to 7,000, and more than 6,000 stores have been opened in the past three years, with a corporate valuation of about 7 billion yuan.
In comparison, by the end of 2023, McDonald's, which has been in China for more than 30 years, has 5,903 stores in China, and the company plans to increase the number of stores in China to about 10,000 by 2028.
The "alliance of low-pricers" represented by Wallace and Tustin used low prices to seize the market of McDonald's, and in order to cope with the attack of the opponent, McDonald's used "food shrinkage" in addition to saving costs in other aspects.
As long as there is a heart of saving, there are always more ways than problems, and the control of labor costs is the first to be at the forefront.
It is understoodMcDonald's once recruited retirees to work in the store on the China Elderly Talent Network, requiring women over 50 years old and men over 60 years old, requiring retirement certificates, working 16 to 40 hours a week, and a monthly salary of 1,800 yuan to 3,500 yuan.
In this regard, some netizens said: "Retired employees do not have to pay social security, and the company saves an expense." But the price is that "I have met an elderly aunt who cleans in the store, and her movements are indeed slower than that of young people." ”
At the same time, some netizens recently discovered that McDonald's popular burgers are packaged in the same paper. Print the names of the four popular burgers on the same sheet of paper, and then fold them in different ways to cover all the burgers, saving both materials and time.
In addition to cost savings, McDonald's is also reducing the price of its products in response to the "alliance of low-price buyers".
For example, in the McDonald's Douyin live broadcast room, the original roasted chicken leg burger with soy milk is priced at 99 yuan, with sales of more than 600,000; The much-criticized McCyclone also launched a discount of 10 yuan for two copies on the McDonald's app.
In this way, the local forces in the foreign fast food market are making the "foreign monks" represented by McDonald's become more and more eyebrow-raising, and what wool does Maimen have to do in the future, Pan Ge will pay attention to it with you.