McDonald’s customers have app-etite for delivered fries

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This article was published 26/02/2018 (2816 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

McDonald’s Corp., which is counting on a new delivery service to fuel the company’s growth, thinks it’s solved the industry’s dreaded french-fry problem.

Fries are notorious for not travelling well — often arriving at the other end in a cold and unappetizing state. But the food has become McDonald’s No. 1 delivery item since the company began offering the service through various delivery apps. Satisfaction rates are high, said Lucy Brady, the chain’s senior vice-president.

To ensure that fries can weather the journey, employees take pains to make certain they’re as hot and fresh as possible before being added to bags, she said. And they’re typically delivered within 30 minutes, helping prevent them from wilting en route, Brady said.

“The first thing everyone was concerned about is, ‘Will the fries be hot and fresh?’” she said.

The stakes are high for McDonald’s to get it right. The company sees restaurant delivery as a US$100-billion market that could help maintain growth. Some investors have become concerned that McDonald’s expansion is flagging: shares of the fast-food giant dipped recently after its domestic sales failed to top Wall Street estimates.

McDonald’s has expanded its delivery service to more than 5,000 U.S. locations following a small test in Florida last year. Chief executive officer Steve Easterbrook, who took the helm in 2015, also is looking to a new mobile app to help keep customers loyal.

Other top deliveries include Big Mac meals and double cheeseburgers.

— Bloomberg News