Smaller McDonald's menu should be permanent, franchisees say
Cutting out all-day breakfast and these menu items could be permanent
McDonald's franchisees want to make limited menus permanent.
With dining rooms closed during the coronavirus, many owners of the fast-food chain reduced menu items to boost quick service for its drive-thru operations like cutting out all-day breakfast, but now, franchise owners have found downsizing is more efficient.
"The limited menu and ease of operations are allowing our teams to focus and provide blazing fast service," Blake Casper, chairman of the National Owners Association at McDonald's independent franchise association said in an update to the association’s members as reported by Restaurant Business Online.
A sign lets drive-thru customers know that the available menu at a local McDonalds is no longer complete April 20, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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"We are convinced. Keeping our menus simplified is your NOA's number one priority," Casper said.
MCDONALD'S WARNS FRANCHISEES IMPACTED BY CORONAVIRUS COULD HAVE TO DOWNSIZE OR SELL
The chain cut menu items like salads, grilled chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders, and stopped its all-day breakfast operations in March when the coronavirus pandemic broke out to pivot to delivery-only and drive-thru operations at most locations.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCD | MCDONALD'S CORP. | 285.55 | -5.34 | -1.84% |
McDonald's is hardly the only chain that's had to make cuts during the global health crisis that have also resulted in shortages of meat and other ingredients. Wendy's cut back on serving hamburgers and meat-based items at around 1,000 or 18 percent of its locations, while others offered just single-patty burger options, according to an analysis of online Wendy's menus by financial firm Stephens.
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And with lost revenue due to seating area closures at restaurants, McDonald's said it's investing around $100 million in additional funding for marketing aimed at helping franchisees recover.
McDonald's workers, meanwhile, have been pushing back against the company's labor protections, with employees in almost 20 states contracting COVID-19 on the job, labor organizers say. McDonald's workers sued the fast-food chain alleging the company didn't provide adequate personal protective equipment.
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McDonald's has said its provided face masks and gloves to its workers and has retrofitted restaurants with plexiglass portions as drive-thrus.