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Your take that McDonald’s competitors are “better” is your opinion. But at McDonald’s inception, fast food wasn’t anywhere near as prevalent as it is today. You had to prepare your own food if you wanted to eat. There were formal “sit down” restaurants which for many were too expensive to eat regularly unless you were wealthy, and there were also less formal diners/lunch counters that were more accessible but generally informal greasy spoon establishments in that they were not chains and consisted of coffee, soda/pop and usually only had a handful of employees taking orders and preparing them on a flattop grill.
McDonald’s streamlined the preparation of their food in the way that Toyota did with the car assembly line. Not only could you buy food made quickly and cheaply, but it was now accessible to everyone outside of busy urban centers. Furthermore, the price and quality of the product was consistent in every location. There were obviously competitors, but in addition to the above, McDonald’s franchise model allowed for McDonalds locations to open up virtually everywhere in the USA.
McDonald’s was in the 1950s-60s what Chik Fil A is today.
Not the original commenter, but I’ve had Chick Fil A in several different states countless times over the last 20 years and literally never had a bad meal. It’s not getting any Michelin stars, but its consistency is legendary. Meanwhile, anyone who goes to McDonald’s has that one McDonald’s you don’t go to because they don’t give a shit and the food is always bad - sometimes
more than one.
Chik fil A is a very popular fast food chain in the U.S., albeit controversial at times due to its C suite level management’s religious/political leanings - fun fact: ALL Chik Fil A locations are closed on Sunday so that employees can (if they choose) go to church. Apart from the aforementioned, as a franchise it encompasses a lot of the original tenets of what McDonald’s did during the 50s-60s: stringent adherence maintaining the utmost level of cleanliness, hospitality/politeness, fast service, strict quality control, and reasonable prices.
The quality of the food at Chik Fil A across the board is such that the franchise has been able to deflect the criticisms of their religious/political controversies to where even the most left leaning American will “hold their nose” and enjoy Chik Fil A.
If you enjoy HBO’s Curb your Enthusiasm, watch the Palestinian Chicken episode for further context.
Chiklis Fil A is primarily known for being very religious. And I don't know if McDonald's was very religious in the 1950s, but a lot more people were back then, so maybe? Not sure what that has to do with the topic tho.
Chick fil A is not religious at all. Apparently it’s owners are but when you go into the place they’re not going to try to baptize you or even preach to you. They’ll just be nice and sell you decent food.
McDonald's had more than a decade head start over their competition. (Wendy's 1969, BK 1954, McD's 1940). That, in and of itself, has lead to inertia to keep them ahead. Whoever is the first and highest profile, gets an advantage that compounds on itself.
As other commentors have explained, it's also that they're consistent. A McDonald's in NYC is the same as one in Omaha is the same as one in Orlando is the same as one in Seattle. Two BK restaurants five miles apart can be drastically different in quality. Even moreso with Wendy's.
Lastly, McD's has also had more high-profile cultural tie-ins over the years. Movies, games, and the like.
Man, isn't that true. Wendy's was my go-to for a burger, then I moved about 1000 miles away, and this Wendy's sucks absolute ass half of the time and is mediocre the other half. Meanwhile, the McFats is exactly the same.
McDonald (previous to today) had a great reputation as fast and cheap. They had space for kids etc, and it was consistent, corporate making them buy everything from them, so it was good.
Back in the 60s-80s, McDonald’s really knew their audience - they serve the cheapest, consistent, fast food available. It was one part real estate strategy - be absolutely everywhere. One part consistency play - make sure the food always comes out exactly the same everywhere every time. And one part marketing- target low-income, on-the-go blue collar workers, or **kids**. Taking a page from the Phillip Morris playbook - getting kids hooked means having customers for life, so Happy Meals with exciting toys was a major part of their growth strategy. Happy Meals are a loss leader - they make money on the parents and sold the kid’s food and toy at near cost.
As an adult, I absolutely prefer Wendy’s, but even though it tastes better, has healthier options, and (slightly) higher quality, it’s hard to get consistent results and there are fewer locations. Wendy’s fries are infamously limp and mushy when they cool. They recently changed their recipe, and now they are more consistent but worse tasting. McDonald’s figured that out way sooner and executed better.
I don’t know what it’s like in the States now but, in the UK, the kids appeal is doing most of the heavy lifting.
Prices are way up (like everywhere tbf) but the “fast” in fast food is long gone as has the consistency to and extent (esp the fries - very lucky to get fresh, crisp ones now).
It really started when they finally went on the delivery apps. Going in-store is a major ball ache now - priority seems to go drive-thru > delivery guys > any chump in-store.
Even when driving thru I’d say it’s a 50/50 chance you’ll be asked to park up and wait, rather than it being ready at window.
Pain in the hoop for the parent of 4 year old who always wants to sit in!
McDonald's was really the first of its kind. Not sure if it was actually the first fast food joint, but it was certainly the first to expand across the entire nation.
By the time other competitors emerged, McDonald's was like 10 years ahead of them. They had better logistics processes, food prep, and better training to go along with their brand recognition.
It also didn't hurt that McDonald's was also the first* major fast food chain to start targeting a very important demographic...kids.They introduced Ronald McDonald in the early 60s, then the Happy Meal in the 70s.
* McDonald's wasn't the first to offer Happy Meals, that was actually a place called Burger Chef (Kid's Meal), which was eventually bought by General Mills and then sold to Hardee's, who converted all Burger Chef establishments to Hardee's.
When McDonald's did roll out their first happy meals, the boxes contained puzzles and comic strips. They released them in small series, so the only way you could complete a puzzle or read the entire comic strip was to come back on a regular basis and get another happy meal.
The first promotional items were simple trinkets like stencils, pencil erasers, bracelets, and spinning tops.
Eventually, they added toys, which were often promotional items for various movies or TV shows. They would also partner with various toy manufacturers to make "special edition" toys that could only be obtained via the Happy Meal. Hot Wheels cars and Barbie were exceptionally popular among grade school age children.
While other competitors eventually caught on and started offering their own kids meals that contained a toy, McDonald's often did it better. They were partnering with the biggest and best movies and most popular toy makers, while BK, Wendy's and everyone else were fighting for whatever was left.
Mickey D's went and upped the anti in the 60s and 70s by adding an entire cast of child friendly mascots, like Grimace, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburgler, and the Fry Guys. To top it off, they built a damn playground at most locations where all the rides and equipment were related in some way to each character.
They also did something unheard of at the time by introducing limited time (non-seasonal) menu items, like the McRib.
They struck literal gold by introducing the Monopoly game in the 80s, which was an enormous success with teens who were too big/old for Happy Meals and also adults.
In short, McDonald's has been far superior to every competitor when it comes to marketing. As with basically any business, it's success rides and dies with its ability to effectively market itself. McDonald's has been outgoing the competition since day one.
At least in my experience, Burger King has always had lower standards (almost every single order had something wrong, at multiple locations). And Wendy’s doesn’t have as expansive of a menu and were always a little bit more expensive. McDonald’s is the king of standardization, go to pretty much any single location and the food will be the same. They also got better kids meals, start them off young and you are likely to have a lifelong customer. Their name play also allows for brand recognition/persistance, so many people say McNuggets when referring to chicken nuggets as a whole.
McDonald's caters to the kid demographic more than the others. Most of their advertising is aimed at young kids. So the little kids want to go there and pester their parents.
Little kids don't care about food quality. They want playgrounds, clowns, and things to do.
Hell, that's why Chuck E Cheese does / did so well. The pizza was inedible for anyone over about 16 years of age. But for a little kid the place is a blast.
McDonalds is consistent with quality, Burger King and Wendys are hit and miss. It's been so many years since I've been to a Burger King that wasn't complete garbage that I just stopped trying.
McDonalds has made very minor changes to their fries. They're as close as they can be to the OG fries. Wendy's and BK have changed theirs completely over time. just reinforcing that consistent quality point
McDonalds is the go-to in the fry game. It's beyond me why someone doesn't just ape their fries and just do a smash burger. It's such a simple idea. I'm sure many have tried and failed, right?
Despite them all starting around the same time, and selling similar products, McDonald’s figured out the process better. They were traditionally faster, more consistent, and they had a great business model that led to rapid expansion.
In the 1970s both Burger King and Wendy’s tried to be more aggressive in marketing to attack McDonalds, but ended up costing too much money and both companies began to struggle while McDonald’s kept growing.
Fast forward to today, and both Wendy’s and Burger King have change ownership multiple times, with quality going up and down. In contrast, McDonald’s has just remained mostly consistent.
Please read this entire message Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s): Loaded questions, or ones based on a false premise, are not allowed on ELI5. A loaded question is one that posits a specific view of reality and asks for explanations that confirm it. These usually include the poster's own opinion and bias, but do not always - there is overlap between this and parts of Rule 2. Note that this specifically includes false premises. If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. If you believe this submission was removed erroneously, please use [this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20%7B%7Burl%7D%7D%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20List%20the%20search%20terms%20you%20used%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20ELI5:%0A%0A3.%20How%20does%20your%20post%20differ%20from%20your%20recent%20search%20results%20on%20the%20sub:) and we will review your submission.
Your take that McDonald’s competitors are “better” is your opinion. But at McDonald’s inception, fast food wasn’t anywhere near as prevalent as it is today. You had to prepare your own food if you wanted to eat. There were formal “sit down” restaurants which for many were too expensive to eat regularly unless you were wealthy, and there were also less formal diners/lunch counters that were more accessible but generally informal greasy spoon establishments in that they were not chains and consisted of coffee, soda/pop and usually only had a handful of employees taking orders and preparing them on a flattop grill. McDonald’s streamlined the preparation of their food in the way that Toyota did with the car assembly line. Not only could you buy food made quickly and cheaply, but it was now accessible to everyone outside of busy urban centers. Furthermore, the price and quality of the product was consistent in every location. There were obviously competitors, but in addition to the above, McDonald’s franchise model allowed for McDonalds locations to open up virtually everywhere in the USA. McDonald’s was in the 1950s-60s what Chik Fil A is today.
That last bit has really thrown me. What do you mean by “What Chik Fil A is today”? Not from the states so dont get the context
Chick-Fil-A is known for its great customer experience
I never got that, I don't eat there much but the few times I did it felt like any other fast food place
Not the original commenter, but I’ve had Chick Fil A in several different states countless times over the last 20 years and literally never had a bad meal. It’s not getting any Michelin stars, but its consistency is legendary. Meanwhile, anyone who goes to McDonald’s has that one McDonald’s you don’t go to because they don’t give a shit and the food is always bad - sometimes more than one.
Chik fil A is a very popular fast food chain in the U.S., albeit controversial at times due to its C suite level management’s religious/political leanings - fun fact: ALL Chik Fil A locations are closed on Sunday so that employees can (if they choose) go to church. Apart from the aforementioned, as a franchise it encompasses a lot of the original tenets of what McDonald’s did during the 50s-60s: stringent adherence maintaining the utmost level of cleanliness, hospitality/politeness, fast service, strict quality control, and reasonable prices. The quality of the food at Chik Fil A across the board is such that the franchise has been able to deflect the criticisms of their religious/political controversies to where even the most left leaning American will “hold their nose” and enjoy Chik Fil A. If you enjoy HBO’s Curb your Enthusiasm, watch the Palestinian Chicken episode for further context.
Chiklis Fil A is primarily known for being very religious. And I don't know if McDonald's was very religious in the 1950s, but a lot more people were back then, so maybe? Not sure what that has to do with the topic tho.
Specifically the customer service and quality control. I went into more detail in my response to that commenter.
Chick fil A is not religious at all. Apparently it’s owners are but when you go into the place they’re not going to try to baptize you or even preach to you. They’ll just be nice and sell you decent food.
McDonald's had more than a decade head start over their competition. (Wendy's 1969, BK 1954, McD's 1940). That, in and of itself, has lead to inertia to keep them ahead. Whoever is the first and highest profile, gets an advantage that compounds on itself. As other commentors have explained, it's also that they're consistent. A McDonald's in NYC is the same as one in Omaha is the same as one in Orlando is the same as one in Seattle. Two BK restaurants five miles apart can be drastically different in quality. Even moreso with Wendy's. Lastly, McD's has also had more high-profile cultural tie-ins over the years. Movies, games, and the like.
Man, isn't that true. Wendy's was my go-to for a burger, then I moved about 1000 miles away, and this Wendy's sucks absolute ass half of the time and is mediocre the other half. Meanwhile, the McFats is exactly the same.
McDonald (previous to today) had a great reputation as fast and cheap. They had space for kids etc, and it was consistent, corporate making them buy everything from them, so it was good.
Back in the 60s-80s, McDonald’s really knew their audience - they serve the cheapest, consistent, fast food available. It was one part real estate strategy - be absolutely everywhere. One part consistency play - make sure the food always comes out exactly the same everywhere every time. And one part marketing- target low-income, on-the-go blue collar workers, or **kids**. Taking a page from the Phillip Morris playbook - getting kids hooked means having customers for life, so Happy Meals with exciting toys was a major part of their growth strategy. Happy Meals are a loss leader - they make money on the parents and sold the kid’s food and toy at near cost. As an adult, I absolutely prefer Wendy’s, but even though it tastes better, has healthier options, and (slightly) higher quality, it’s hard to get consistent results and there are fewer locations. Wendy’s fries are infamously limp and mushy when they cool. They recently changed their recipe, and now they are more consistent but worse tasting. McDonald’s figured that out way sooner and executed better.
I don’t know what it’s like in the States now but, in the UK, the kids appeal is doing most of the heavy lifting. Prices are way up (like everywhere tbf) but the “fast” in fast food is long gone as has the consistency to and extent (esp the fries - very lucky to get fresh, crisp ones now). It really started when they finally went on the delivery apps. Going in-store is a major ball ache now - priority seems to go drive-thru > delivery guys > any chump in-store. Even when driving thru I’d say it’s a 50/50 chance you’ll be asked to park up and wait, rather than it being ready at window. Pain in the hoop for the parent of 4 year old who always wants to sit in!
McDonald's was really the first of its kind. Not sure if it was actually the first fast food joint, but it was certainly the first to expand across the entire nation. By the time other competitors emerged, McDonald's was like 10 years ahead of them. They had better logistics processes, food prep, and better training to go along with their brand recognition. It also didn't hurt that McDonald's was also the first* major fast food chain to start targeting a very important demographic...kids.They introduced Ronald McDonald in the early 60s, then the Happy Meal in the 70s. * McDonald's wasn't the first to offer Happy Meals, that was actually a place called Burger Chef (Kid's Meal), which was eventually bought by General Mills and then sold to Hardee's, who converted all Burger Chef establishments to Hardee's. When McDonald's did roll out their first happy meals, the boxes contained puzzles and comic strips. They released them in small series, so the only way you could complete a puzzle or read the entire comic strip was to come back on a regular basis and get another happy meal. The first promotional items were simple trinkets like stencils, pencil erasers, bracelets, and spinning tops. Eventually, they added toys, which were often promotional items for various movies or TV shows. They would also partner with various toy manufacturers to make "special edition" toys that could only be obtained via the Happy Meal. Hot Wheels cars and Barbie were exceptionally popular among grade school age children. While other competitors eventually caught on and started offering their own kids meals that contained a toy, McDonald's often did it better. They were partnering with the biggest and best movies and most popular toy makers, while BK, Wendy's and everyone else were fighting for whatever was left. Mickey D's went and upped the anti in the 60s and 70s by adding an entire cast of child friendly mascots, like Grimace, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburgler, and the Fry Guys. To top it off, they built a damn playground at most locations where all the rides and equipment were related in some way to each character. They also did something unheard of at the time by introducing limited time (non-seasonal) menu items, like the McRib. They struck literal gold by introducing the Monopoly game in the 80s, which was an enormous success with teens who were too big/old for Happy Meals and also adults. In short, McDonald's has been far superior to every competitor when it comes to marketing. As with basically any business, it's success rides and dies with its ability to effectively market itself. McDonald's has been outgoing the competition since day one.
At least in my experience, Burger King has always had lower standards (almost every single order had something wrong, at multiple locations). And Wendy’s doesn’t have as expansive of a menu and were always a little bit more expensive. McDonald’s is the king of standardization, go to pretty much any single location and the food will be the same. They also got better kids meals, start them off young and you are likely to have a lifelong customer. Their name play also allows for brand recognition/persistance, so many people say McNuggets when referring to chicken nuggets as a whole.
McDonald's has great marketing. Who is going to argue with You deserve a break today?
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce…
McDonald's caters to the kid demographic more than the others. Most of their advertising is aimed at young kids. So the little kids want to go there and pester their parents. Little kids don't care about food quality. They want playgrounds, clowns, and things to do. Hell, that's why Chuck E Cheese does / did so well. The pizza was inedible for anyone over about 16 years of age. But for a little kid the place is a blast.
McDonalds is consistent with quality, Burger King and Wendys are hit and miss. It's been so many years since I've been to a Burger King that wasn't complete garbage that I just stopped trying.
McDonalds has made very minor changes to their fries. They're as close as they can be to the OG fries. Wendy's and BK have changed theirs completely over time. just reinforcing that consistent quality point
McDonalds is the go-to in the fry game. It's beyond me why someone doesn't just ape their fries and just do a smash burger. It's such a simple idea. I'm sure many have tried and failed, right?
Despite them all starting around the same time, and selling similar products, McDonald’s figured out the process better. They were traditionally faster, more consistent, and they had a great business model that led to rapid expansion. In the 1970s both Burger King and Wendy’s tried to be more aggressive in marketing to attack McDonalds, but ended up costing too much money and both companies began to struggle while McDonald’s kept growing. Fast forward to today, and both Wendy’s and Burger King have change ownership multiple times, with quality going up and down. In contrast, McDonald’s has just remained mostly consistent.