Wednesday, 7 January 2015 00:01
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McDonald’s is continuing to expand its Create Your Taste program, a scheme which allows customers to pick everything for their burger from the number of beef patties, to the type of bread, to a slew of toppings including spicy mayo, guacamole, and grilled mushrooms.
So far this year McDonald’s has been experimenting with the build-your-own burger system at a handful of locations in Southern California. Now the chain says that it will immediately expand the tests to 30 locations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, Missouri, and Pennsylvania.
In 2015, McDonald’s will bring the Create Your Taste program to 2,000 of its US outlets, meaning one out of every seven locations will offer the new menu.
The expanded program will also include more food options: Customers will not only be able to customise their burgers but will also be able to build their own chicken sandwiches. USA Today notes that this is an option that many “designer burger chains” do not have, giving McDonald’s a competitive edge.
The Create Your Taste program does pose obstacles for the chain, however. An increase in options means an increase in prices. While a Value Meal is typically priced at $ 5, a customised burger with a drink and fries will cost customers well over $ 8.
Plus, the fancy burgers take at least four to seven minutes to prepare. This means that service will likely be slower and that the burgers cannot be sold at the drive-thru window — where McDonald’s does nearly 70% of its business. The Create Your Taste scheme requires a separate assembly area which means that it also cannot be run at many smaller McDonald’s locations.
Regardless, McDonald’s is hoping that giving people the choice to put tortilla strips on their burgers will help save the company from seriously slumping sales.
