Why McDonald's Is One Of The Most Disliked Fast Food Chains In The US
McDonald's is one of the most widely-recognized restaurants. With over 38,000 locations in over 100 countries, the unmistakable golden arches have been a beacon in the restaurant industry for many decades. So why is it that McDonald's is one of the most hated fast food chains in the United States? Moreover, several countries simply won't let McDonald's set up shop on their land, including Bermuda, Iran, Zimbabwe, Yemen, North Korea, and Bolivia.
However, political and corporate rationales aside, there are a few reasons why McDonald's is so disliked, even in its home country. Although it generates $23.18 billion worldwide, with $9.42 billion in U.S. sales alone (per Statista), consumers still have a hard time showing love for the burger giant. Data collected by the American Customer Satisfaction Index shows that McDonald's is dead last among competing restaurants. The "I'm Lovin' It" company failed to meet customer standards regarding beverage and food quality, cleanliness, speed of service, and quality of its mobile app.
Other reasons why McDonald's isn't a fast food favorite
Despite worldwide recognition and booming sales, there are many reasons why McDonald's has a hard time winning the fast food popularity contest. For one, there are rising costs due to inflation, which customers may see on the menu. In response, they may order fewer extras, such as fries or size upgrades.
Then, there are trust issues. Consider the ongoing problem with McDonald's seemingly always out-of-order ice cream machines, even if that's not necessarily the case. Instead, the machines are incredibly laborious to maintain and most workers reportedly just don't want to deal with the extra hassle of wrangling the ice cream maker.
More recently, fast food companies have found that it harder to attract and maintain new employees. People may not want to work for a major corporation with a history of high turnover and high-stress environments, all for minimum wage compensation. Understaffed locations may therefore have issues with order fulfilment, cleanliness, and more that contribute to McDonald's low reputation.