Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
FOOD TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Case study1: McDonald's Success and Challenges

Mervin Recolito

BSFT 3-1N
The success of McDonald's can be attributed to many more factors that have been
discussed in this article:

1. Can you cite at least two (2) and elaborate

Consistency

McDonald’s are consistently secure same quality even if the products themselves vary
substantially across regions. The biggest reason for that is how they source their inputs and
ingredients. They’re very careful about selecting suppliers for things like potatoes and meat, and
those products are processed in only a handful of locations before being distributed to local
stores. Once the food arrives at the store, the people preparing your food are all trained to do
the same thing using the same procedures. The training program for the company is largely the
same across the US although it’s changed sometimes. The food itself is checked for quality
regularly before being shipped, and suppliers that don’t measure up to food standards are
dropped.

Innovation

McDonald started their business in the late ‘30s. And it wasn’t with hamburgers either. They
were into hot dogs. Within a short time they realized that hamburgers were more popular and
easier to do. They are easy to grab and also come with a lot of flavors over a varied range.
Other approaches to increase people flow is to serve food in lovable ways using silverware,
earthen ware, wooden plates, copper ware and clay pots. Some outlets come with health
conscious replacements and serve juices, calorie free food items which cater to the craving of
fast foods by ill health and diet conscious people. Some firms give the readymade mixes which
can be cooked at home with the customer’s customized choices. Some firms connect with
sustainable food suppliers and make the process ethical. Some firms have also taken up the
digital revolution allowing customers to order online outstripping long waits in the lines. Some go
organic with foods without preservatives, dyes and flavors. Some give off late night snack and
some have released apps in their names. Some others also work on their interior decors
offering lively atmosphere, conduct promotional events and strategize their social media
presence.
2. Find a local counterpart and compare their similarities and differences to stay long in
the food industry business.

KFC and McDonald’s both started to develop their businesses during the 1930s in the times of
Great Depression in the United States. Today both of the companies have large global influence
and operate huge chains of restaurants all over the world. The companies promote their high
speed service and very clean and sanitary conditions of preparing food. The difference between
these companies is that KFC is focused only on selling chicken, while McDonald’s owns a long
list of meals they are ready to serve to their customers. In order to win more clients McDonald’s
has provided standardization of all their restaurants across the world. This means that all of the
restaurants in every country have to stick to the same norms as to temperatures of cooking and
preserving the products or the amount of time the food can be kept in the transfer bin. These
regulations make the process of food preparation especially consistent and help to win the
customers’ trust and loyalty.