McDonalds 2000 Annual Report Download - page 19

We also use limited-time offerings, such as
the popular Cheese Lovers week in France, to
add excitement and profits outside the U.S.
During this successful promotion, customers can
select sandwiches featuring a variety of cheese
toppings that please their palates.
Clearly, appealing to local food tastes is good
for business. Notably, we generated impressive
double-digit comparable sales increases in China
last year with an ongoing focus on value and two
innovative chicken products—Spicy McWings
and the Spicy Chicken Filet Burger. Building on
this opportunity, we are in the process of estab-
lishing a center of excellence for menu manage-
ment and product development in Singapore.
Grounded in a consumer-guided development
process, this center will focus on identifying
and creating products that appeal to customers
in Asia in order to build sales and increase prof-
itability throughout the region.
We are also intensifying our efforts to deliver
fast, friendly, hassle-free service.
In Indonesia, for example, our restaurant
crews are donning Formula 1 racing-inspired
uniforms to beat a 60-second timer to serve
customers—faster and better—at the front
counter, as well as in the drive-thru.
In Argentina, Paraguay, Spain, Switzerland
and a number of other markets, hosts and host-
esses are greeting customers and seeing to their
special needs, whether it’s more catsup or a
high chair for a youngster.
As customers who use the drive-thru tend to
be especially pressed for time, we are continuing
to explore opportunities to facilitate car through-
put. For example, crewpeople in Brazil are testing
remote order-taking devices during busy periods
to place orders for customers using the drive-thru.
In addition, we are testing side-by-side tandem
ordering stations at U.S. restaurants with espe-
cially high drive-thru sales. These dual stations
allow customers to pull up to the first available
position, so cars keep moving even if someone
is ordering for an entire soccer team at the other
order point. Initial results have been positive, with
greater car throughput and incremental sales
during peak periods.
The ‘value’ of a smile
Everyone appreciates a good value, and at
McDonald’s, we pride ourselves on being a value
leader around the world. A long-term strategy
has been to combine attractive prices with deli-
cious food and enjoyable experiences. As a
result, we have a broad base of customers, many
of whom can afford to visit us frequently.
In addition to being a good value all the time,
we are building traffic and sales during less busy
periods with innovative approaches to pricing.
For example, in Japan, where a large percentage
of our business is conducted on weekends, we
are providing special weekday values, such as
120-yen Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. And in a num-
ber of markets across the U.S., we are offering
outrageous values, like 29-cent hamburgers and
39-cent cheeseburgers, on certain days of the
week.
Smile 17
The little things
often make a good
experience great,
and we are
providing many of
those little things
to make a visit to
McDonald’s special.
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