Cross-posted from “Too Bad, So Sad, Too Late - McDonald’s tells U.S. restaurants it’s not a ‘political brand’ after Trump visit” by @[email protected] in [email protected]
Excerpt:
Though President Donald Trump visited a Pennsylvania McDonald’s location on Sunday, the fast-food giant is trying to stay neutral in the presidential race.
“As we’ve seen, our brand has been a fixture of conversation in this election cycle. While we’ve not sought this, it’s a testament to how much McDonald’s resonates with so many Americans. McDonald’s does not endorse candidates for elected office and that remains true in this race for the next President,” the company said in an internal message viewed by CNBC and confirmed by a source familiar with the matter.
I haven’t eaten at a McDonalds since before covid, and I don’t really miss it.
The point is to not have a lobby anymore.
The US has always been obsessed with the drive-thru (nothing says good eats quite like huffing car fumes) and covid pushed a shift toward people just buying fast food to take home and eat.
So discourage people from dining in until “The demand is low so we are being more green or some shit by getting rid of it”.
The original McDonald’s didn’t have a lobby. You were supposed to eat the food in your car.
It looks like McDonald’s is trying to get back to its roots.
Makes sense, except that they won’t get any of this business if they take away the play-place. I’m already leaning away from McDonald’s due to this.
I mean this in the most polite way imaginable but: You don’t matter. You are an individual whose stated stance is far from the majority of their consumer base.
Also: I very much won’t go to a place that I know is drive-thru only. But the number of times where I needed a quick bite to eat after a flight and the lobby of the taco bell or whatever was locked and I just went through the drive thru instead? People will adapt pretty quick.
Which… is the entire point. If people know that getting a napkin or a ketchup packet involves talking to the one person at the counter then they will stop dining in at all. Which will make removing the dine-in even less disruptive.