Tuesday, February 06, 2007

On The Go Packaging

According to a November 2006 posting on QSR Magazine Online:

In the Middle East, McDonald's serves a regional version of its chicken wrap. The McArabia features not only a flavored flatbread holder, but also the type of on-the-go packaging more quick-serves should be employing. It is possible to eat the flatbread sandwich without spilling, even when writing and dining.

The McChronicles is pretty sure they are talking about the same packaging that we enjoy when we consume the succulent FANtastic sandwich. And it sounds like what we see in the cool McShawarama ad. If so, we say - cool!

Harken back to the day The McChronicles invented the McPamper. Born of necessity, the McPamper was our way of minimizing the collateral damage done when trying to consume a Big Mac. Why did we invent this? Because many sandwiches are messy! That good and gooey sauce/condiment/juice has to go somewhere - and it usually manages to land on our clothes.

An alternative answer is because the existing packaging is inadequate for our needs. So, now we know that McDonald's knows the issue, and that they can do somethng about it.

We imagine that this packaging is a lot more expensive (both money- and time-wise) for McDonald's. And, admittedly, it may be a bit of overkill for some sandwiches. But ... watch what happens when you initiate a candid discussion (amongst people who are comfortable being honest) about eating a Big Mac. It always seems to go to the mess.

With increasing numbers of McDonald's customers using the drive thru, this packaging could be a real point if differentiation when a dining decision is considered. According to a 2006 article in selfserviceworld.com:
Drive-thru sales account for more than 60 percent of the overall revenue and more than 80 percent of the lunch revenue at a typical McDonald’s.

Think of the averted dry cleaning bills! Maybe this packaging should pop up everywhere the Big Mac is sold.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles.

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