Long lines in McDonald’s? Wonder what to blame…

McDonald’s Corp. has recently announced that the introduction of new products on the menu has decreased service speed in any local stores. Originally, the company intended to add more variety to their products in order to increase consumer satisfaction. However, the fast introduction of new items made it challenging for many stores to keep up with the service speed. The service speed slowed to an all time low at 189.49 seconds.

McDonald’s has a centralized business model that allows little creativity for its employees. Striving to be more decentralized and innovative, McDonald’s have creatively brought new menus to the table. However, this degree of decentralization slowed the speed of the service time and created consumer dissatisfaction. It is important for McDonald’s to apply innovation along with its centralized business structure. For example, before launching new products, McDonald’s should enforce its service speed through employee training and investments in machinery capital. With better machines and well-trained employees, productivity and efficiency can be improved to match up with those needed for the new menu items. Thus, without delaying the service time, menu-items that are more health-conscious can enhance McDonald’s brand image as well as increase consumer’s satisfaction.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303789604579198432499699844