You Don't Win Friends with Salad

Posted by Matt Jacobs, April 25, 2006 at 12:53 PM

McDonald's may be flaunting their Chicken Selects and gourmet salads, but it's the tried and true cheeseburger that's bringing in the coin. Last week, the New York Times wrote that McDonald's has had 36 months of sales growth because of the dollar menu.

And every day, McDonald's moves a lot more double cheeseburgers than either salads or the new Premium Chicken Sandwich — most versions of the sandwich have more calories and more sodium than a double cheeseburger. Richard Adams, a former McDonald's executive who now works as a consultant for franchisees, says the average store sells roughly 50 salads a day and 50 to 60 Premium Chicken Sandwiches, compared with 300 to 400 double cheeseburgers from the Dollar Menu.

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Since McDonald's started advertising the Dollar Menu nationally, the double cheeseburger has become the chain's most ordered item. Even priced at $1, double cheeseburgers bring in more revenue than salads or the chicken sandwiches, which cost $3.19 to $4.29.

Living in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in New York City, it's not a big surprise that the Dollar Menu is a success. McDonald's knows their target market (blacks and hispanics) and hits them over the head with cheap and salty treats (metaphorically, usually).

Personally, I'm waiting for the quarter menu. I won't rest until I can create rock-hard blockage in my arteries for a mere twenty-five cents. Then I can die happy, er, immediately.

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Tags: chain burgers, McDonald's