Dear Sir:This is the first time that I have felt compelled to write a company about the quality of their product, but after watching a news episode a few weeks ago and eating at your Colorado Springs restaurants, I am compelled to write.
I have noticed over the past years that the quality assurance at ALL of your establishments has gone drastically down hill. Being a former employee (1980-1982), I know how the products should be prepared and served. Unfortunately, either the training or the management has drastically went down hill since then. I can't remember how long it has been since I have received a burger or other product that was prepared with care or professionalism. The meat is seldom centered, the ketchup and mustard do not form a star on the center of the bun, and the pickles are not centered. Most of the times the cooks are in such a hurry, the condiments are at best squirted across the bun, if not completely non-existent. The last quarter pounder with cheese that I bought had two pieces of onion, one pickle, no mustard, and just enough ketchup to show that the cook had made an feeble attempt to hit the target. This was not an isolated incident.
The news segment I referenced above, dealt with the automatic french fry baskets and soda dispensers that are replacing the young people who worked there, like myself back in highschool. The statement made by the McDonald's representative was, "McDonald's has experienced a decline in sales in the recent past and is installing automated systems to reduce their labor force and save money."
PLEASE, what a lame public relations statement! The solution to a reduced profit margin is not to deprive young kids of a job, it's simply to make a better product. Look at the size of the buns compared to what they use to be, or compared it to your competition.
Step up your quality assurance to insure the customer is receiving a sandwich that looks like the one displayed on the menu board. Everyone I have talked to at work has the same opinion, they have stopped taking their families to McDonald because they are tired of the poor product.
I am a Major in the US Army, and the only restaurant on the post besides the Officer's Club is the McDonald's, but because of the news segment and the way the food is prepared I will drive off post to eat at your competition instead of walking 100 yards to the McDonalds. If I feel this way, how many others out there feel the same? How does that calculate into your profit margin? What is the future of McDonald's?
The point I'm trying to get across is not orbital mechanics, it's simple business - If you want repeat business and increased sales, provide the customer with a better product. Make him or her know that no matter which McDonalds they go in they will receive the same food, prepared with the same care, and served hot and by professional workers. When prepared properly and in the right portions, McDonalds far outpaces Burger King or the others.
An alternative course of action, is to change the menu board pictures to reflect what the product really looks like. It won't increase sales, but at least it isn't false advertisement.
Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail and I hope that my next dinning experience at McDonalds will be a vast improvement over the past.
Sincerely,
James R. Spangler
Colorado Springs, CO
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McSpotlight notes:
Can you _believe_ that anyone could seriously mistake us for McDonald's? Do we have a curly wig and oversized shoes?
None.
