When you think of McDonald's do you think about nuggets? Maybe fries? If so, I want you to take a few steps back and look at McDonald's from an operations perspective. What is it about McDonald’s processes that make them so successful?
The answer? It’s all about their systems.
As a crew member at McDonald’s (or Macca’s - how I like to call it as an Aussie), I’ve had the privilege of observing the ins-and-outs of their operations. I must say, they absolutely blow my mind with how clever their systems are.
Here are the behind-the-scenes reasons why McDonald’s excels at business operations — and how these systems are lining their pockets well.
1. McDonald’s beats the clock
Being a fast-food chain, McDonald’s success is built upon its ability to make food fast (obviously). It has so many systems to streamline the food preparation process, and it's beyond awesome at saving time through automation.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
A machine named Franke dispenses frozen fries into baskets with a push of a button, ready to be plunged into the oil.
The bags of frozen fries have slits cut into them, so it requires zero effort to rip open the bag and fill up Franke. No need to struggle opening the bags with scissors.
To clean the frappe jugs, all you need to do is flip it upside down over the jug-holder and the jugs automatically get rinsed, ready for the next frappe to be made in literally thirteen seconds (I counted how long it took).
The mop water comes out of a hose that has detergent pre-mixed into it.
As you may have noticed, McDonald’s is a master at streamlining everything. It’s also the seemingly insignificant details about its operations, such as the pre-slitted fry bags and mop water, that makes a huge difference to how efficient I am as an employee.
2. Consistent experience for all customers, anytime and anywhere
A strength of automating almost everything is the elimination of human error. The same processes and procedures can be perfectly replicated millions of times, regardless of the employee who operates the system. It enables them to serve millions of customers per day all around the world with the exact same consistency. It doesn’t matter which Macca's you go to, the fries will be just as addictively salty from the store I work at to the one in Japan. It doesn’t matter if you order them on Wednesday morning, or on a Friday evening when the high school employees are dead after a week of classes.
3. The processes and procedures are idiot-proof
Contrary to the complicated intricacies of its operations, such as its self-cleaning frappe machines and automated drive-thru soda dispenser (which I’m assuming Macca’s spent fortunes on engineers to create those assets), all it takes are some keen teenagers to work the systems. No need to hunt for Michelin-star chefs, MBAs, or experienced hospitality workers. Without having to hire individuals with advanced skill sets, Macca’s is able to keep their wages to a minimum, and in turn, keep their prices low. Training is neither time nor cost-intensive, and I’ve personally been able to quickly learn tasks by simply asking my workmates.
Key Takeaways
It’s crystal clear to see why Macca’s is dominating the fast-food industry all over the world. There’s no doubt that countless other restaurants make tastier burgers than McDonald’s. But what makes people choose Macca’s over their local family-run diner is the guarantee that they’ll get their food fast, inexpensively, and it’ll be the same at any Macca’s they go to. McDonald’s is able to maintain this strong reputation through the implementation of clever automated operations systems.
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