The Angus burger is going away, and it may not be the only McDonald’s dish on the chopping block.
The world’s largest restaurant chain has also considered axing Caesar salads, the McSkillet Burrito, the Southern Style Biscuit and steak bagels, according to a franchisee e-mail obtained by Bloomberg News. While the Angus burger contains as many as 820 calories and costs $4, the culling isn’t simply about offering healthier fare and cheaper items. It’s an effort by McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) to streamline a menu that has expanded by 70 percent to about 145 items since 2007 -- straining kitchen staff, gumming up service and spoiling customers for choice.
The world’s largest restaurant chain has also considered axing Caesar salads, the McSkillet Burrito, the Southern Style Biscuit and steak bagels, according to a franchisee e-mail obtained by Bloomberg News. While the Angus burger contains as many as 820 calories and costs $4, the culling isn’t simply about offering healthier fare and cheaper items. It’s an effort by McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) to streamline a menu that has expanded by 70 percent to about 145 items since 2007 -- straining kitchen staff, gumming up service and spoiling customers for choice.
“It’s gotten to the point where the operation has kind of broken down and that’s all a symptom of the complication of the menu,” said Richard Adams, a San Diego-based restaurant franchisee consultant and former McDonald’s store owner. “They can’t make the food fast enough.”
In October, some McDonald’s franchisees received an e-mail from a regional representative proposing “core menu changes” based on information from customer complaints.
Teams had been formed to address menu size and understand “what’s getting in the way of quality and service,” according to the e-mail. Seven menu items were identified for potential removal. So far Fruit & Walnut salads, Chicken Selects and Angus burgers have been eliminated.
“We are constantly adding and removing menu items,” Danya Proud, a McDonald’s spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. “It’s not new for McDonald’s. We’ve been doing it for decades!” She declined to comment on the e-mail.
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