Friday, July 11, 2008
McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew Videos
The following info was submitted to The McChronicles by Joe Curry, Supervisor, Global Web Communications, Corporate Communications, McDonald's Corporation:
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For the Beijing Games, McDonald’s invited the Olympic Champion Crew to create a short video expressing their Olympic spirit in just five words. The top 25 videos have been posted to http://osom.mcdonalds.com and will be displayed online for four weeks leading up to the Olympic Games where the public can vote for their favorites. The winners will be announced in Beijing.
About the Olympic Champion Crew
As the largest employer in the quick service restaurant industry, McDonald’s has a rich history of providing opportunities to the 1.6 million people they employ worldwide. The McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew program is a unique example of the recognition, reward and opportunities the company provides its employees. For the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, 1,400 of McDonald’s best-of-the-best restaurant employees from 36 countries will travel to Beijing to serve the world’s best athletes and thousands of others at McDonald’s four new Olympic venue restaurants. While in China, the crew will experience the excitement of the Games, visit cultural sites and meet their peers from around the world.
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The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: screen grab of McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew logo.
::::::::::::::::
For the Beijing Games, McDonald’s invited the Olympic Champion Crew to create a short video expressing their Olympic spirit in just five words. The top 25 videos have been posted to http://osom.mcdonalds.com and will be displayed online for four weeks leading up to the Olympic Games where the public can vote for their favorites. The winners will be announced in Beijing.About the Olympic Champion Crew
As the largest employer in the quick service restaurant industry, McDonald’s has a rich history of providing opportunities to the 1.6 million people they employ worldwide. The McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew program is a unique example of the recognition, reward and opportunities the company provides its employees. For the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, 1,400 of McDonald’s best-of-the-best restaurant employees from 36 countries will travel to Beijing to serve the world’s best athletes and thousands of others at McDonald’s four new Olympic venue restaurants. While in China, the crew will experience the excitement of the Games, visit cultural sites and meet their peers from around the world.
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The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: screen grab of McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew logo.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Ensenada, Mexico
The McChronicles enjoyed a week on the Pacific coast in Ensenada, Mexico. While there we encountered a McDonald's with a special feature. This store has a street-side counter that sells ice cream. In this party town this is an awesome feature. With people walking up and down the main street, stopping by the McDonald's window is just what the doctor ordered - especially on a sultry summer's day ... or night.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Rosemont, Illinois McDonald's: Always A Delight
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Quoting The McChronicles: Rosemont Rocks!We said that a while back, after our first visit to this awesome McDonald's. This store has some magic - and every McDonald's should tune in and try to grab some for themselves. Here's the deal:
Walking into the store, it seems like any other - nothing special. Then, you notice the cleanliness - this place is really tidy. Second, you spot the crew - bright, white shirts ... ties ... clean hair ... smiles ... very professional looking. They look you in the eye, they speak politely. They seem happy. Mind you, this is all going on at 9:30 PM on a Tuesday night.
You sit at your table enjoying your meal, and you see that the crew works very well together. They respect each other, they say "please" and "thank you" to each other. They smile and joke. And they work! One young man was taking drive-thru orders on his headset, typing in the orders, AND cleaning the counter. He also delivered the order..JPG)
The condiment area (always a McChronicles concern) is super tidy (just like the last visit).The McChronicles chatted with a young crew member who shared that this store is run by a man named Denny Stabile. We were told that the management inspires the crew to relax and be themselves. Denny obviously shows a lot of respect and appreciation to his team - because that's what shows through to the customer. This young man also shared that he counts all the crew as friends - he makes a point to chat with coworkers on the way into his shift, as well as on the way home when new crew are coming in. Kudos to Denny for teaching this team these great skills, and for enabling them to share them with the customers.
The McChronicles would like to say a huge THANKS to the owners, managers, and crew of the Rosemont McDonald's. They set the bar very high - and show us how a McDonald's experience should play out.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
Chicago O'Hare Airport McDonald's: Terminal H
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The McChronicles usually flies UNITED through Chicago. This time it was decided to take American Airlines - the result was a visit to TERMINAL "H" and a new McDonald's experience..JPG)
This McDonald's is in a delightful food court - very bright and well decorated. There are plenty of places to eat and it is quite clean.
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The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
RIP Herb Peterson
Who hasn't enjoyed an Egg McMuffin?Well, sadly, the inventor of that delightful creation has passed. Herb Peterson introduced breakfast to the fast food industry - and was well-known as a person who truly loved McDonald's.
According to an article in the International Herald Tribune:
The Egg McMuffin made its debut at a restaurant in Santa Barbara that Peterson
co-owned with his son, David Peterson.
Rest in pease, Herb.
The McChronicles:a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: SouthernLedger.com
Monday, March 24, 2008
Branding The Beach
Look at the top image. Wow! What a crowded beach. It is reported to be Haeundae Beach in Busan, South
Korea. Note the red umbrellas. Notice anything special?
Now take a peek at the bottom two images. Wow!
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: floristone.com
Korea. Note the red umbrellas. Notice anything special?
Now take a peek at the bottom two images. Wow!
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: floristone.com
Feng Shui? Of Course!
"The makeover is part of the attempt by Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald's Corp. in recent years to remodel hundreds of its restaurants to attract more patrons with unique decor and amenities that might entice them stay awhile."
The "makeover"? Yes, the makeover to a more feng shui-pleasing environment in some McDonald's.
Here's another telling quote from examiner.com:
"It's successful as a design. It's got a very clean, open, airy appearance," said Elaine Bjorklund, a professor emerita of cultural geography at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, who was in town visiting a friend.
Does anyone have pictures of the Hacienda Heights, California McDonald's to share?
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: hopeful!
The "makeover"? Yes, the makeover to a more feng shui-pleasing environment in some McDonald's.
Here's another telling quote from examiner.com:
"It's successful as a design. It's got a very clean, open, airy appearance," said Elaine Bjorklund, a professor emerita of cultural geography at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, who was in town visiting a friend.
"I'm not a McDonald's habituee," she added as she snapped pictures of the dining area. "It would be interesting to see if this trend will spread."
A customer was moved to take pictures of the dining room! Awesome! The McChronicles sure would like to dine in THAT store.Does anyone have pictures of the Hacienda Heights, California McDonald's to share?
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: hopeful!
Las Vegas McDonald's Disappoint
The McChronicles recently reported on a non-impressive McDonald's.We returned to check out a few more McDonald's and were equally disappointed. It seems that there is not ONE Vegas-themed McDonald's in the city.
But, there is promise. There is one McDonald's on the strip that promises both a NEW SIGN as well as a NEW STORE!
The McChronicles hopes that the new store reflects the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.
Monday, February 18, 2008
McDonald's Saturation
Right off the bat, The McChronicles would like to say that we have NEVER felt "saturated" by McDonald's, we never get too much. So the title of this posting's topic seems a wee bit off.
The McChronicles was tipped off to an interesting website that claims to provide information on the density of McDonald's in any US region. It is from Foodio54.com.
Apparently drawing data from a corporate location database, the site purports to tell us data regarding stores per X miles radius for:
Apparently drawing data from a corporate location database, the site purports to tell us data regarding stores per X miles radius for:
- national average
- state average
- specific location entered
The site also reports your state's highest and lowest McDonald's densities by listing a few cities. In the McChronicles' home state of New York, we learned that (according to this site), the highest McDonald's density is in New York City 10017) with a density of 1 McDonald's for every 5,400 people. A McDonald's for every 0.11 square mile!
And, we also learned that the Adirondack region sees very little of the golden arches, especially in the west-central area. Inlet, NY's McDonald's/square mile was incalcuable! The McChronicles recently reported of the demise of the Old Forge, NY McDonald's.
Have some fun with this tool.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Foodio54.com screen grab.
Monday, February 11, 2008
McDonald's Pioneer: Gene Widdicombe
She ..."with the help of her children, has become a local McDonald's pioneer. She's the first woman in Orange County to operate a McDonald's. In 1974, the single, mother of three opened her second McDonald's in Garden Grove.""Her restaurants were the first in Orange County to introduce a drive-through (1977) and a PlayPlace (1983) kids zone."
"Today, five of the more than 30,000 McDonald's operating in the world belong to Gene Widdicombe."
Nancy Luna, OC RegisterWow! Can you imagine meeting Ray Kroc? Having him fly out to meet YOU? Opening a McDonald's when no one had heard of McDonald's???
The McChronicles has visited Gene Widdicombe's first McDonald's, at 12542 Harbor Boulevard, in Orange County, California, but never knew the significance, until now.
Read the Gene Widdicombe story in the OC Register. We were riveted by the "as it happened" style - great stories!
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Big Mac: Inside THe McDonald's Empire (repeat)
CNBC (American channel) is running this old show again. The McChronicles posted about it when we first saw it this summer.We would like to repeat this sentiment:
It bothers us that most anti-McDonald's people point out that certain McDonald's items aren't high-quality foods while:
- ignoring the fact that some McDonald's offerings are, in fact, excellent choices
- failing to mention that EVERY mainstream grocery store also offers items which are not high-quality foods
Be sure to check out the show's special detailed website which offers:
- program highlights
- a video gallery
- background on the show host
The McChronicles couldn't find a show replay schedule on the CNBC website.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: CNBC website
Saturday, January 12, 2008
McChronicles Interview
SoCal's FAST FOOD MAVEN interviewed The McChronicles, to share our top 5 McDonald's wishes for 2008 with their Anaheim, California readers.
As you may know, we really savor the total McDonald's experience, so our answers just may surprise you a bit.
Read The McChronicles interview.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Fast Food Maven website.
As you may know, we really savor the total McDonald's experience, so our answers just may surprise you a bit.
Read The McChronicles interview.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Fast Food Maven website.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
McDonald's: Perfect Time To REEBOK Burger King
Nike Shox RULED the athletic shoe (sneaker, trainer) world.
Somewhere, off in the distance, Reebok and their man, Terry Tate, were busy selling their shoes.
Nike did it again, another awesome commercial, featuring a streaker at a football (soccer) match. The ad was simply fantastic, mesmerising. Some said it was unbeatable.
In one week, Reebok answered with one of the most memorable ads ever. Terry Tate REEBOKED Nike. AWESOME!
Fast forward to today's Burger King Whopper Freakout. The McChronicles must admit, it is an awesome concept and ad. Here is the 7-minute Whopper Freakout backstory. Here is the 30-second Whopper Freakout commercial.
With tons of time to react, and with the Super Bowl looming, it is the perfect situation for McDonald's to "REEBOK" Burger King.
Come on McDonald's! Do it for your fans.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Somewhere, off in the distance, Reebok and their man, Terry Tate, were busy selling their shoes.
Nike did it again, another awesome commercial, featuring a streaker at a football (soccer) match. The ad was simply fantastic, mesmerising. Some said it was unbeatable.
In one week, Reebok answered with one of the most memorable ads ever. Terry Tate REEBOKED Nike. AWESOME!
Fast forward to today's Burger King Whopper Freakout. The McChronicles must admit, it is an awesome concept and ad. Here is the 7-minute Whopper Freakout backstory. Here is the 30-second Whopper Freakout commercial.
With tons of time to react, and with the Super Bowl looming, it is the perfect situation for McDonald's to "REEBOK" Burger King.
Come on McDonald's! Do it for your fans.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Most Unique McDonald's In The World
The Travel Channel (USA) is running a show about the Top 10 Most Unique McDonald's in the world.Peter Holden, billed as the Number One McDonald's Fan, leads the viewer on a tour. He claims to have visited nearly 12,000 McDonald's!
During the show we learned:
- there are >30,000 McDonald's operating worldwide.
- the oldest operating McDonald's is in Downey California, USA.
- there is a McDonald's PlayPlace in Dallas, Texas, USA that is designed to look like a Happy Meal. The show declares this to be the happiest McDonald's in the world.
- there is a diner in the Lafayette, Indiana, USA McDonald's. It has over 120 menu items not offered at any other McDonald's. Sounds interesting but gimmicky.
- Peter Holden has NOT yet been to the Arctic Circle McDonald's in Pitea, Sweden. Customers there hit the drive-thru on snowmobiles!
- Montreal, Canada is the home of the world's most unique McDonald's Cafe. There's a regular McD next door if the gourmet latte isn't enough!
- a two-storey McDonald's in Orlando, Florida, USA houses a mega-PlayPlace which hosts over 750 birthday parties per year. Pizza is available. Upstairs offers an arcade and a huge maze.
- The Roma, Italy McDonald's sits in the center of this great city. It is the most opulent McDonald's in the show - and maybe the world. This store has >800 seats! Their Big Macs are reportedly the most expensive in the world.
The McChronicles loved seeing some of the restaurants we have visited, especially the Times Square (New York City) store which, reportedly, has the largest McDonald's kitchen in the world. We also were quite interested in the stores that we have yet to enjoy.
The show will run through February 2008. Here is the schedule of next showings.
Check it out if you can.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Travel Channel logo from discovery.com.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Flying Fry Ad
McDonald's has released a new ad, called Flying Fry, in specific US markets, aimed at Hispanic youth, "Lateens".According to an email from Tremor Media:
"The campaign, which debuted Jan. 1 in 16 markets across the U.S., also includesThe McChronicles' first reaction to the ad was that it doesn't seem to have any particular "Lateen" uniqueness to it (admittedly, The McChronicles is pretty clueless on the topic, so the signals may have been missed). We then settled with thinking, "Kind of cool". But, slowly, we got the feeling we'd seen it all before. Then it hit us, "Showdown" from 1993. This ad reminds us strongly of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird making their wild cross-town shots with a basketball. Replace our stars with two kids, the ball with a french fry, the hoop with a mouth, ... and you are an advertising genius, we guess. Hey, maybe one of these kids will parlay this into a Hanes underwear ad contract!
radio and rich media banner ads. "
Deeper reaction:
- The MAIN thing McDonald's gets grilled for is health issues. The PRIME offender is the french fry (still not removed the trans fats???).
- The product they're advertising? French Fries!!! And they're targeting an audience who is struggling with reducing fat in their diet!!!
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Screen grab from MediaPost.
Monday, December 31, 2007
McBaby!
Thanks to The Fast Food Maven for making The McChronicles aware of this interesting story.According to a report from CBS News:
"A baby was born in a Washington state McDonald's restroom and the mother didn't know she was pregnant."
The story goes on to reveal that the mother :
"... was working the night shift and ... suddenly ran into the restroom feeling ill."
Wow!
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: screen grab from CBS news story.
Monday, December 03, 2007
McSkillet Burritos: evaluated
The McChronicles mused about the new McSkillet Burrito. Then, Michael Schroeder gave us the 411 on how good they are. Moved to action, The McChronicles travelled to Sarasota, Florida to sample this promising breakfast fare.But first, the Sarasota McDonald's:
Store #: 5983
Address: 787 S. Washington Blvd, Sarasota, FL, 34239
Owner/Operator: Bob & Joan Davies
Store Manager: Heidi Martino
Time: 7:54AM
Pulling into the parking lot it was fun to see the store's windows being washed. The grounds were tidy and bright.
Walking in revealed a very typical, nothing special layout. The dining room has an old car theme, with a few basic pictures on the walls. Nothing special.
The Sandwich:When asked about the popularity of the McSkillet Burrito, the counter person was unable or unwilling to converse in English. She turned the situation over to a manager. The manager confirmed that the breakfast sandwich is, indeed both very tasty and very popular.
The McChronicles ordered both an Egg McMuffin (control) and the McSkillet Burrito (experiment).
Bottom line, compared to the old standard (Egg McMuffin), the McSkillet Burrito is flavorful, exciting, tasty, moist, and very hearty.
A caloric or nutritional comparison was not made. Info anyone?
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles. Why not a picture of the McSkillet Burrito? The McChronicles ate it before the shot could be captured!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
McSkillet Burrito
The McChronicles was enjoying a "welcome home" lunch at McDonald's with a friend and noticed the ad (on the cup) for the new McSkillet Burrito.We have not, yet, had the pleasure of trying this sandwich. Any opinions to share out there?
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Voice of McDonald's Competition
McDonald's is doing something kind of cool - and you can get involved.Many countries/regions are now enjoying a TV show that pits wannabe pop stars against each other. Judges criticize, viewers vote - ahh, the drama! McDonald's has taken all that is good about this scenario and is staging a talent contest online. Introducing the Voice of McDonald's Global Singing Contest.
According to the website, the competition is for crew and managers from around the globe.
The McChronicles voted (actually "ranked") every one of the 35 contestants who are in the finals. They were down-selected from over 3,600 McDonald's crew and managers from 53 countries. Awesome!
According to a McDonald's press release:
The top ten after online voting will become global finalists and each will
win a trip with a guest to McDonald’s 2008 Worldwide Convention in Orlando, FL, April 14-17, to compete for top honors.
Cast your vote and have a say in the outcome by going to http://www.mcdonalds.com/voiceyourchoice.html, checking out the videos, and listening to the talent.
The McChronicles certainly has a strong opinion on two fantastic talents. Want a clue? Match the images posted here with the videos online (or just read the names in the images).
Great fun! Very talented McDonald's people.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with McDonald's.
Images: screen grabs from http://www.mcdonalds.com/voiceyourchoice.html
Monday, November 26, 2007
A McDonald's Thanksgiving
Americans LOVE Thanksgiving. They bring the whole family together and gorge themselves on the traditional faire of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and more. At least most of them do.Then there is the group that dine at McDonald's for Thanksgiving.
According to McDonald's -> Management Blog, a large group of people take their holiday meal at McDonald's. In their post, titled "Gobble, Gobble" they express their surprise with the amount of business they had last week - on Thanksgiving. Here are a couple of quotes:
It's incredibly surprising how busy McDonald's is on Thanksgiving. It surprised everyone, including the owner and the store manager, who cut hours down to literally nothing. Then, during breakfast from 8 all the way to 10:30 breakfast cut-off, when we were really busy, and short-staffed, it surprised our
customers, as well.
Lunch was like a normal mid-week lunch. This surprised me more than anything.
Breakfast I understand. You're cooking up a storm for dinner, who wants to cook
a breakfast too? But lunch? At 1:30 PM?
Let The McChronicles know - did you dine, have you ever dined, at McDonald's on Thanksgiving?
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: MasterPiecePumpkins website.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Europe's Most Visited and LARGEST McDonald's
According to this web page (http://www.munichx.de/essen/mcdonalds.php) this McDonald's is Europe's largest and most visited McDonald's.
Located in Munich (Zentrum) this restaurant boasts 3 stories.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: a friend of The McChronicles (thanks Anita!).
Germany's OLDEST McDonald's?
A friend of The McChronicles just visited Munich and files this report.I believe this is Germany's oldest McDonald's. It is located on
Tegernseerland Str., Munich. I used to hang out here, smoke cigarettes, and drink Loewenbraeu bier inside. Pretty cool place.
Does anyone know if this really IS Germany's oldest McDonald's?
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: a friend of The McChronicles (thanks Alen).
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Vegas, baby!
The glitz, the glamor, the disappointment.The McChronicles was walking the Las Vegas strip last week - taking in all the opulence. Suddenly, amongst the Ferrari dealership, the waterfalls, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Eiffel Tower was this scuzzy little strip mall. And, shoehorned between FATBURGER and a tour agency, was a McDonald's.
The McChronicles has long expressed its supreme satisfaction with "theme McDonald's" - stores that adopt a local (or other) design theme. They evoke a oneness with their locale and
gain energy from the synergy. When visiting a location with a strong theme (like San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury) or ... say ... Las Vegas, we HOPE for a McDonald's with a really cool local theme. Alas, it was not to be.This McDonald's looked so generic that, upon walking in, the disappointment caused a loss of appetite. Later that afternoon, upon finding a second McDonald's on the Las Vegas strip, The McChronicles couldn't muster the enthusiasm to even check it out.
A little creative energy would have been greatly appreciated.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
World's 2nd-Busiest McDonald's
Khamzat Khasbulatov's Pushkin Square, Moscow, McDonald's (the 2nd-busiest in the world) seats about 900 people at one time, and he still can't handle the crowds!According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, "On average, each (Russian) location serves about 850,000 diners annually -- more than twice the store traffic in McDonald's other markets."
Mr. Khasbulatov jokingly complains about having too many customers. He qualifies that by saying, "When I said I have too many customers, it's a nice problem to have. I would love to continue to have this problem."
Check out the Wall Street Journal video on this intriguing situation.
From the customer point of view, this must be a problem. The article goes on to state:As for the persistent crowds, many customers remain indifferent. "Our country's a country of lines," says Andrey Shatskiy, a 40-year-old soap-opera cinematographer, while eating lunch at the Pushkin Square restaurant. "We all got used to it."Walt Riker, McDonald's Vice President, Corporate Media Relations shared these photos of a trip he made to Moscow this past summer - depicting the throngs of customers crowding a different McDonald's. Thanks, Walt!
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Video: Brightcove
Images: Walt Riker, McDonald's.
Specialty Coffee & Premium Beverages at McDonald's
Earlier this month McDonald's announced that they will add specialty coffee and other premium beverages to the menus at its more than 14,000 U.S. locations in 2008.
Has anyone seen this start happening yet?
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Four Sizes of Coffee in Moscow McDonald's: Walt Riker, McDonald's Vice President, Corporate Media Relations
Sunday, September 02, 2007
FREE is Good
This arrived in today's newspaper. Can't wait!
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
McDonald's STAR Manager Interview
The McChronicles was fortunate to stumble upon a real STAR recently. We briefly enjoyed the company of Yanna Deng, McDonald's Changan Branch STAR.We don't know what "STAR" actually stands for, but it HAS to be good. Why? Because Yanna is. The Changan McDonald's (in Shenzhen, China's Futian district) is a true "neighborhood" restaurant. Nestled amongst small shops, and at the foot of housing blocks, the store serves students, families, and the neighborhood locals.
We managed to slow Yanna down for a few seconds to ask her about her job, and her role in this store. Here is what she had to say (the interview was translated between English and Mandarin. Any translational errors are purely the fault of The McChronicles):
The McChronicles: What is the role of a McDonald's STAR?
Ms. Deng: We organize social activities, events held at our restaurants. We especially focus on childrens activities.
The McChronicles: How long have you been here?
Ms. Deng: I have worked at this store for 2 years and have been with McDonald's for over 7 years. Many employees at this store have been with the company for a long time.The McChronicles: Describe McDonald's MOM'S PROGRAM.
Ms. Deng: We have special "Happy Family Ambassadors" who emphasize a good experience for families while in our restaurant. The specially-selected employees must truly enjoy children and have a great sense of customer service.
The McChronicles: How is McDonald's keeping abreast of the huge changes occurring in China?
Ms. Deng: One big effort, and success, is keeping up with inflation. Even with this pressure, we have managed tokeep our prices steady.
The McChronicles: What is exciting at this store?
Ms. Deng: Our new manager really emphasizes QSC (quality, service, cleanliness). Their focus has really improved our store tremendously.
The McChronicles: What is your favorite part of working at McDonald's?
Ms. Deng: I enjoy the collegial atmosphere, the happy environment, and the great team with which I work.
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The McChronicles notes that this store was very clean and efficient. It was a pleasure to eat at this McDonald's. Thank you Yanna, and your entire team.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
Temporary McDonald's
The McChronicles has experienced this before. Still, we marvel at it, and want to report on it again.What is it? It is a temporary, pop-up McDonald's. A small McDonald's is set up in a special tent, wherever needed.
In this case, the restaurant served thousands of conventioners in Shenzhen, China. When bringing people together from all parts of the world, it is
important to satisfy everyone's basic human needs (enjoying a satisfying meal is one of them). This exhibition offered a pop-up Pizza Hut, a pop-up Chinese food choice, and a McDonald's. The McDonald's clearly had the longest lines of all the options.The menu is very limited (chicken sandwich, sausage sandwich, Big Mac) with canned soda. When faced with the option of these limitations versus NO McDonald's, we'll gladly take this option.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
McDonald's Pineapple Pie
A cautious McChronicles tentatively bit into the piping hot dessert for a first taste of McDonald's Pineapple Pie.The verdict? Awesome! Very sweet and flavorful. An excellent comfort food.
This great treat was found in Shenzhen, China.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles (pie is missing - we gobbled it up too soon).
What You See: What You Get
The McChronicles enjoyed the (much) larger than life glowing sidewalk billboard depicting the awesomeness of the McDonald's Big Mac while walking along a Shanghai street last week.After being duly influenced by the huge advertisement we decided to drop into the closest McDonald's to see if the sandwich could live up to the hype. Depicted here is what we saw, and what we were served.
The sandwich was served up in sloppy fashion, with ingredients hanging out every which way. The pickle was barely along for the ride.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
China Olympics Countdown in McDonald's
The McChronicles snapped this image a couple of days ago. It depicts a countdown (days to go) to the Summer Olympics in China.The sign sits right at the entrance to a Shanghai McDonald's.
There is so much fervor building up in China for these games. The McChronicles wonders if the country will sustain the energy or if they will have an emotional melt down. We'll soon see.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.
Coca-Cola China Olympics Torch Promo: McDonald's Tray Liners
Olympics Fever is really heating up in China. The McChronicles wonders how the country will manage to keep a lid on the excitement for another year.Coca-Cola is staging a very special event for the upcoming summer games. They are asking customers to vote for one of three favorite Chinese sports stars. The winner will carry the Olympic torch into the stadium and light the main torch.
The choices are:
You'll find this promotional piece on your tray should you dine at a Chinese McDonald's in the near future.
- Yao Ming (basketball) NBA fame
- Liu Xiang (hurdles) hot off a big win in Osaka two days ago
- Guo JingJing (diving) sexy sports star
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.
McDonald's Uniform: Pants
The McChronicles has noted that McDonald's workers seem to be required to wear corporate shirts and hats, along with some non-descript, non-corporate-issue pants.The McChronicles has noted (reminded on a visit last week) that Chinese McDonald's staff wear corporate McDonald's pants.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.
Egg McMuffin: China Style
The McChronicles went on a breakfast jag last week and started consuming Egg McMuffins nearly every day.The cool thing was that all the meals were consumed in China - Shanghai to be exact.
Disregarding the localized wrapping, the food looked and tasted exactly like that in any other McDonald's in which we've eaten.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
McDonald's Angus Third Pounder
Well, the name certainly doesn't roll off the tongue, now does it? But the concept is intriguing. The McChronicles just read this on the QSR Magazine website:"McDonald's customers have shown strong support for the new Angus Third Pounders that debuted in Southern California last March. Positive customer feedback has prompted McDonald's marketing co-ops in New York and Central Ohio to introduce the newest line of hamburgers to its customers. "
"Angus Third Pounders are made with 100-percent USDA-inspected Angus Beef, with red onions, sauteed mushrooms, iceberg lettuce and sliced red tomatoes, served on a bakery-style sesame seed roll. The hamburgers come in three varieties: Angus Deluxe, Angus Mushroom and Swiss, and Angus Bacon and Cheese, for a suggested retail price of $3.99 each."
If you have had any experience with this new product, comment and share your thoughts.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: svt.967 website
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
McDonald's Moon Man Rises (again)
McDonald's Moon Man spearheaded the company's "Mac Tonight" promtional campaign years ago in the USA when they were introducing the concept of late- and all-night McDonald's service.Fast forward to today, and to China, where Moon Man has been called up for more duty.
There are ads on TV, on the video screens in-store, on the doors, and even on flyers. Here's one such flyer that depicts 30 of the many stores here in Shanhgai that offer 24-hour service. This makes tons of sense as this city seems to never sleep.The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.
McDonald's Personalized Word of Mouth Project
According to information The McChronicles recently received from the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association:McDonald's is currently working with Oddcast to create an avatar-based viral email campaign. At www.MySnackTime.com, users enter basic information about a friend or co-worker who they want to tell about the Chipotle BBQ snack wrap.
This generates an email, which leads recipients to a personalized,
snack-wrap-evangelizing avatar that knows just a little too much about them.
According to Oddcast, people who receive emails from friends are 60-65% more
likely to open them and are 30-35% more likely to pass the email along to yet
another person, making this effort one that is full of viral potential.Learn
more:http://www.womma.org/womnibus/010133.php
Sounds like fun. The McChronicles just fired off a customized message to a buddy in Singapore. Can't wait for the reaction. We plan to try it out on a few other unsuspecting friends and see what happens. Let us know about your experience with this.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: McDonald's Oddcast website.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
McDonald's: In-Store Hygiene
Here is an example of a long-outdated practice that is (sadly) still in effect today in some locations.The McChronicles dropped into a McDonald's in Shanghai, China yesterday and saw something that it has reported on before. We remain dismayed to see unprotected (no paper wrapper) straws being dispensed from a box.
While waiting for our order, The McChronicles observed customers dispensing bare straws, getting too many, rolling them out onto the counter, putting some back, etc. We pity the next customer in line.
The McChronicles hopes that McDonald's can invest in hygiene and institute wrapped straws throughout China.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles.
McDonald's: China Olympics
McDonald's is a proud partner of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. With a year to go until the big event, McDonald's (in China) is really promoting the event.The McChronicles reports that the Suzhou, China McDonald's is curently sporting an abundance of Olympic rings throughout their restaurant. They're hanging from the ceiling everywhere.
This is in addition to the flat screen video ads of the Olympics that are playing in the store. Interestingly, the McDonald's Olympics ads often depict winter sports, like Ronald ski jumping, freestyle skiing, skating, etc.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles