The problem is that McDonald’s has to change due to changing customer tastes. McDonalds brought in a new person to be in charge of its 12,300 US stores. He wants to evolve its sacred menu, stress customer service, and personalize the customer experience. How? The company developed a new cooking system soon to be seen at all McDonald’s. The system called ‘Made for You’ eliminates the traditional stainless steel holding chutes so sandwiches are made just-in-time of the order. The result is better tasting food and higher customer satisfaction. Even its products are changing as McDonald’s tests a veggie burger. Isn’t anything sacred? Probably not. The message of this story that even a glittering, world-class organization with a world-wide reputation for fast food excellence doesn’t last forever when customer satisfaction is a moving target.[i]
[i] Gibson, Richard, “New US Chief Order Changes at McDonald’s,” Wall Street Journal, May, 20, 1998, p. B1.